


Heroes of My Heart

by Dinkel



Series: Windmills [2]
Category: Southern Vampire Mysteries - Charlaine Harris, True Blood (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, F/M, Friendship/Love, Halloween, Timestamp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-01-15 21:30:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21259949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dinkel/pseuds/Dinkel
Summary: Continuation of "Windmills of Your Mind". It's Halloween and Christmas is just around the corner and there're still some things that Godric and Liv, with a little help from Eric, need to figure out.





	1. Il trillo del diavolo

**Author's Note:**

> _Disclaimer: All characters, places, objects, concepts etc. that you recognise from the Southern Vampire Mysteries or True Blood belong to Charlaine Harris or their respective copyright owners. This story is not meant to offend anyone and I do not make any money with it._
> 
> _Author's Note: Welcome, welcome back and above all, Happy Halloween!  
This is a continuation of my story Windmills of Your Mind so if you haven't read that yet it would probably be a good idea to do so. And as I said, this will not be a sequel but a series of timestamps set after the main events - my attempt to tie up some loose ends and fill in the gaps. We're going to start with "Halloween" and then continue on to "Christmas", with each part having about three chapters. And then we'll see..._
> 
> _Universe: This story is set mostly in the universe of the TV show True Blood, though I've taken the liberty of borrowing a little from the books, namely in regards to one character who didn't make it onto the screen._
> 
> _ **Warnings** **: Blood, obviously. Mentions of violence, rape and domestic abuse. And Liv and Godric might finally get a bit more physical...** _

**1\. Il trillo del diavolo – Giuseppe Tartini**

"Have you decided to go as a Sexy Nurse, after all?" Eric asked, suddenly leaning to peer over her shoulder and startling her out of her thoughts, as usual enjoying her reaction. "Mhm, I approve."

Liv mustered a smile, her whole body relaxing as the familiar weight of Eric's hands settled on her shoulders. Over the last few weeks, ever since they had laid Russell and everything connected to him to rest, the tall Viking had become much more generous with physical affections, greeting her with casual touches on her shoulders or back, pulling her into brief, spontaneous hugs and gathering both Godric and herself against his chest when they went to bed. It had surprised her at first, but it had also brought home to her how much how she had missed these small, casual touches all throughout her life, and so she could only be grateful.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I just got home from work. Pam is going to help me with my costume later," she replied, absently stirring in her coffee cup. "And I don't see what's so sexy about my scrubs, anyway."

"You'd be surprised," Eric said and when he slid into the seat across from her he was smirking. "I've gained a whole new appreciation of them, recently."

Liv rolled her eyes, which was always a safe choice when she didn't quite know how to react to Eric's flirtations. "I thought you'd be at the club already."

"Godric is running a little late so he asked me to come pick you up," Eric explained.

"Is everything okay?"

"There was a little incident with Bubba earlier so Godric is trying to calm him down. It can be a rather time-consuming task," Eric answered, unconcerned, but then looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes. "Has something happened to upset you at work? You seem a little… off."

"What, no, I'm fine," Liv protested, before sighing softly. "I just… Can I ask you something? About Godric?"

"Godric will be happy to answer any questions you might have, Liv," Eric informed her, sounding confused rather than reproachful.

Liv mutely shook her head, feeling just as helpless as when she had tried to broach the subject with the older vampire.

"Very well then," Eric said with a sigh. "Ask me your question."

Liv took a deep, centering breath, still not quite sure if this was the right decision, but knowing that she had to do something or risk hurting Godric unintentionally. "Does… Does he like sex?"

"Of course he likes sex," Eric replied, seeming honestly surprised by her question.

"But…" Liv broke off, something in her crumbling at Eric's matter-of-fact statement.

Eric disappeared for a second, offering her a tissue when he sat back down; at least he now looked as uncomfortable as she felt. "I'm sure we can solve this without tears, Liv," he said pleadingly, pressing the tissue into her hands. "Just tell me what happened."

"I don't know," Liv admitted, brushing harshly over her wet cheeks and trying to find the words to describe their last few attempts at intimacy.

Godric had always been gentle with her, careful and attentive, never showing even a hint of impatience at the restrictions her visions placed on their interactions. But now that she was starting to have better control of her abilities, that he could bite her and take a tiny sip of her blood and create almost half an hour of freedom for her, now that there was the potential for more, he was drawing back.

At first, she had blamed her own impatience, had reasoned that maybe Godric was still cautious of triggering a vision and that he was just setting a slower pace than she might have preferred. She had tried to show him that she was ready and eager for more, had said so outright and Godric had seemed honestly pleased. But anytime they even inched into something beyond kisses and chaste caresses, Godric retreated into passiveness, touching her when she asked him to, kissing her at her request, but never initiating anything himself. Pretending that he enjoyed it while his body and eyes communicated something else entirely.

"It feels wrong," she concluded in a soft whisper. "Like he's forcing himself just to make me happy. I know him, Eric, and he's not a good actor."

Eric laughed despite the seriousness of their discussion, but then gently rested his hands on her arms to still her nervous fiddling. "Godric does like sex, which is not to say that he doesn't have some issues."

"Oh," Liv mumbled, trying to ward of the feelings of inadequacy and guilt that she knew were neither rational nor helpful. "I tried to talk to him about that, but the last time I asked, he said that there's nothing he wouldn't like to experience with me."

"And I'm sure that's true," Eric told her gently. "Some of his experiences might even be more present in your mind than in his, so as long as you feel comfortable I don't think you need to worry about that."

"But?" Liv prompted.

Eric sighed deeply. "But Godric usually prefers to be a little more… dominant. He's not good at ceding control."

"But that's exactly what he's doing now," Liv protested. "Why would he do that if it's not what he wants?"

"You know why," Eric said gently, looking pointedly at her. "You're a banshee, Liv, and we both realize that physical interactions are still very much a tightrope walk for you. Godric would never put his own preferences over your needs."

"But he'd definitely put my needs above his own. He's being a self-sacrificing idiot again," Liv concluded with a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment even as she felt an almost overwhelming sense of relief to have an answer, finally – an answer she could work with. "Thank you, Eric."

She got up from her chair and bent down slightly to place a soft kiss on Eric's cheek. The tall blond pulled her into a loose sideway embrace, narrowing his eyes slightly in thought.

"You have a plan already."

Liv laughed, relaxing completely into Eric's secure hold. "Not a plan exactly, but at least this is something I can fix. You both worry too much."

"I don't think I've ever been accused of that," Eric replied with faux affront, squeezing her waist before releasing her. "Go take a shower."

"Do I need to wash my hair?" Liv asked, pulling her ponytail to the front and taking a testing little sniff before looking to Eric; she could immediately read her answer in his slightly wrinkled nose. "I'll be quick."

v---v

Despite the ragtag group of protesters that were trying to block the main entrance, Fangtasia was packed that night with vampires and humans alike in a wild variety of costumes, from a Rococo princess and a knight in full armor over several fictional vampires to Playboy bunnies, police officers and bloody brides. Many of the vampires had chosen to slip back into their old lives for this one night and it created a very particular atmosphere, simultaneously dark and a little playful, as if the vampires had forgotten to be aloof and mysterious and had just decided to be themselves.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Eric asked, waiting for her to sit down before he reclaimed his throne.

"I'm Maleficent," Liv replied, smoothing her long dress over her legs and trying to find a comfortable position for her horns.

"I doubt that very much," Eric gave back, smirking at her eye roll.

Eric had transformed into a Viking king, his chest looking particularly broad and powerful under the gleaming chainmail and the wolf fur slung across his left shoulder. He even wore a crown, though not the one that had belonged to his father, and he arrested more than one gaze.

"She's a Disney character. The dark fairy who curses Aurora to become Sleeping Beauty," Liv explained, quite happy with her flowing black dress and the large demon horns Pam had fitted into her long, tumbling curls. The other woman had worked wonders with her make-up, too, emphasizing her cheekbones and giving her a dark red lipstick that she would never have dared to pick for herself. All in all, she thought, she looked fierce and almost a little dangerous, which was a nice, if rather unfamiliar, experience.

"I still think you should have gone as a Sexy Nurse," Eric replied and if she didn't know better she would have said he was pouting a little.

"I think you're beautiful," Godric said, suddenly appearing at her side and looking at her like she was the vision of his every fantasy come to life. "I love your hair open like that." He reached out, gently twisting one of her curls around his finger.

Liv smiled, turning to face him fully. "You're looking very handsome yourself." Godric had coiffed his hair into a soft side part and had chosen a bespoke suit in dark charcoal with a crisp white shirt and a blood red tie, which made him look quite spiffy. "But I thought you were going to pick an outfit from your favorite era?"

"I did." Godric eyes sparkled with mirth, holding out his hand and dropping a kiss to the back of her hand as soon as she had made contact. "This is the only era with you in it."

Liv's laugh turned a little breathless when Godric pulled her up from her chair, swirling her once around her own axis and then pulled her into his embrace. "Dance with me, cridiíon imon."

"Always," Liv replied happily. "See you later, Eric, try to behave."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Eric called after them.

Godric led her to a quiet corner of the dancefloor, beneath a gigantic spider's web with an eight-legged, red-eyed monstrosity staring moodily down at them and a row of rather cheery pumpkins keeping it company. He settled his left hand gently on her waist and offered her his right so that she could slip her fingers into his. Only for a moment, long enough for them to share a chaste kiss, before she slid her hands onto his shoulders and he put both of his around her waist.

"I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up," Godric murmured, starting to sway her slowly to the rhythm. For Halloween, Eric had passed on the usual pounding dance music and instead opted for a more eclectic playlist, classical music interspersed with jazz and lounge music from the 1920s and 1930s, soundtrack music from different vampire movies and a surprising amount of love songs. Who knew that the Night of the Dead was inclined to put vampires in a romantic mood.

"Don't be, we still have the rest of the night," Liv replied, lightly trailing her fingers along the edge of Godric's crisp white collar. "Were you able to help Bubba?"

Godric shook his head minutely with a shy smile before he indicated a dancing couple near the bar. "I managed to talk him down from his tantrum, but I believe his new friend deserves the credit for cheering him up."

Liv did a double take when she finally recognized the garishly dressed cowboy as Bubba and had to giggle at the way he was wrapped around his new lady friend, a dark-skinned woman dressed in a rather realistic cat costume, complete with pointy ears and a long furry tale that Bubba had slung around his own wrist.

"Oh, she seems perfect for him." Liv laughed, returning Godric's happy grin before she had a sobering thought. "But he won't… I mean, he has a rather bad track record when it comes to cats."

"We're keeping an eye on him," Godric promised, pulling her close again and twirling her around in his arms. "She will be perfectly safe."

"Thank you," Liv said, blowing a soft kiss against Godric's lips and laughing when she noticed his pout of disappointment. "I don't want to get lipstick all over you."

"I wouldn't mind," Godric offered with a hopeful little smile that was all too hard to resist. She didn't bother to try, leaning in to press her lips timidly against the tempting cupid's bow of his mouth, licking over his impish grin and moaning softly when Godric started to return her kisses - carefully, of course, little nips and licks, a fleeting nibble on her lower lip and the skirting touch of his tongue against hers, always interrupted by short pauses so that she could reinitiate contact. Godric had made kissing her an art form and she was quite happy to be his canvas.

"I thought about this all night," Godric admitted, tenderly caressing her through the thin fabric of her dress as they started to sway to the music again. "Dancing with you and holding you close. Celebrating Halloween with you."

"I used to be afraid of this day," Liv confessed in a whisper, knowing that Godric would have no difficulty hearing her. "The day when the veil between the world of the living and dead was supposedly at its thinnest. It seemed… threatening, somehow, as if this other world might spill over and swallow me whole." She shook her head with a smile, reaching out to smooth Godric's worried frown with her fingers. "I'm not afraid anymore. I can see now why you like it so much. One night where you can break all the rules and all the stereotypes and just be yourself."

"Maybe not all the rules," Godric cautioned with a boyish grin. "But at least a few of them. It's not often we get applauded for being scary, blood-sucking monsters."

"Still not a monster," Liv argued immediately, not willing to let Godric call himself that, not even in jest. "You're the kindest, sweetest, handsomest, most amazing person I know."

Godric grin got wider with every adjective until he was beaming at her, pearly white fangs peaking over his full bottom lip.

"Careful, Liv, you should save some of those compliments for the rest of us," Eric spoke up from behind her, grinning at her when she turned around. From the healthy flush to his cheeks, she could guess that he'd already had his first nightly snack.

She laughed and gave Eric a good-natured eye roll. "Don't worry, Eric, you'll always be my favorite Viking."

"You'll always be my favorite, too," Godric agreed, comfortably hooking his chin over Liv's shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist. "And you're looking very handsome today."

"And you're very tall," Liv added teasingly.

"Gee, thanks for noticing," Eric replied dryly. "And here I was trying to do something nice and tell you that your friend's here."

"Mel?" Liv asked happily since the capable brunette had wanted to stop by another party first and hadn't been sure when or if she would make it to Fangtasia.

"Sookie," Eric corrected, taking her by the shoulders and swiveling her in the right direction.

She tried hard not to be disappointed, but her friendship with Sookie had become rather strained of late, ever since Sookie had decided to forgive Bill and accept his proposal. Hadley and Liv had expressed their concerns, several times, trying to get Sookie to see that her relationship with Bill was perhaps not altogether healthy and that maybe she should at least hold off on drinking his blood until she could be certain that her feelings were her own. Sookie had not taken that well and their last encounter, several weeks previously, had ended with Hadley and Sookie both screaming at each other and dredging up a lot of dirty laundry from their childhood and adolescence.

"She's asking for you," Godric offered softly, looking at her with a question in his deep brown eyes.

"It's fine," Liv reassured him, brushing a very light kiss over his cheek. "I'll go talk to her. Do you want to come with me?"

"Let me get you something to drink first," Godric offered, pressing a kiss into her hair before he drew back. "I won't be long."

Liv looked after him for a moment, blinking once and finding Godric next to the bar in the next second. She turned away with a small smile and started to wend her way towards Sookie, the sea of people parting for her, or rather for Eric, who was shadowing her every step. If they had been in private, she would have teased him about being an overprotective momma bear.

"There you are," Sookie greeted her when they reached her side, in a tone of voice suggesting that they had had an appointment and Liv was inexcusably late.

"Hello, Sookie," Liv replied, startling slightly when she recognized the brooding vampire next to her. "Good evening, Bill. How are you?"

The dark-haired vampire didn't even bother to look at her, instead continuing to glare menacingly at something – or rather someone – behind her. Eric only broke their staring contest long enough to conduct them into his office, which turned out to be a very smart move, given the reason for Sookie's visit.

"I need to speak to the queen and Hadley isn't answering her cell," Sookie said, barely a moment after Eric had closed the door to his office.

"Her birthday was last week," Liv answered, a little relieved when Eric reappeared at her side.

"So what? It's not like she ever remembers mine," Sookie retorted defensively. "And even if I did forget, it does not give her the right to ignore me now."

"I don't think she's ignoring you," Liv corrected, realizing that Sookie had no idea about the queen's plans for Hadley's birthday, nor about the fact that Hadley's twenty-seventh birthday had been her last one as a human. "Just… busy. Have you tried leaving her a voice mail? I'm sure she'll get back to you when she can."

Sookie flicked her blond hair back over her shoulder. "There's no need for that. Bill told me how chummy you are with the queen and as I said I have to speak to her."

"And what makes you think that our queen would have any interest in that?" Eric asked with polite curiosity while Liv was distracted by Godric coming into the office and moving directly to her side. She smiled at him, accepting the fruity, blood-red cocktail he offered to her, and leaned comfortably against him before she focused back on Sookie.

"Of course she'll want to speak to me," Sookie declared confidently, tilting up her chin. "She knows I'm special."

"Ah, but she already had occasion to meet you." Eric gave Sookie a sympathetic, exaggerated grimace. "I'm afraid she found the experience rather… inconsequential. I think we'll pass. Thank you for stopping by, though."

Sookie spluttered wordlessly, looking to Bill for help. "But… But I'm… And you owe me! After everything you put Bill and I through, this is the least you can do."

"I think you should calm down, Sookie," Liv cautioned. "I'll be happy to pass on a message to the queen and ask Hadley to call you back, but as I said they're probably busy so you'll just have to be patient."

"No, I want to talk to her now," the blond fairy insisted. "Just give me her number and I can call her myself."

"I'm not giving you her number," Liv said evenly. She didn't quite understand Sophie-Anne's insistence on keeping her number private - even from the vampires living in her queendom, even from her sheriffs – but it was no doubt another way for the queen to assert her power and dominance and Liv wasn't about to undermine that. So she hadn't given the number to anyone, not even to Eric, though of course it would have been easy enough for the tall vampire to look up the queen's contact info on her phone. It spoke volumes that he hadn't. "Do you want to tell me why you need to speak to her so urgently?"

"Bill said she might have some answers. Well, I want to hear them now," Sookie explained, rather ungraciously.

Liv sighed softly. On the one hand, she was glad that Sookie was finally showing an interest in something besides her husband-to-be, but on the other hand, she wasn't certain that this didn't somehow relate back to Bill and his influence after all. And since Sookie had found the time to slip on a sparkly green dress, apply glitter to her cheeks and weave a flower crown into her hair, she didn't quite buy her claim of urgency, either. In any event, she doubted that Sophie-Anne would be inclined to drop everything and make time in her busy schedule just to play 20 Questions with the blond fairy.

"I understand how frustrating it can be not to have all the answers, but you've waited this long, surely a few more days won't hurt?" she suggested softly, but Sookie's expression only got more mulish.

"I've waited twenty-five years already, thank you very much. And you were the one who told me I should know myself before starting my new life as a married woman," Sookie said, crossing her arms over her chest. "So help me do that – you owe me that much at least."

"I'm curious. You keep referring to a debt we supposedly owe you and yet I could have sworn I already paid the fee we had agreed upon for your assistance in Dallas," Eric spoke up, elegantly slouching against his desk. "Maybe you should check your math."

"You hush your mouth, Eric," Sookie replied testily. "Bill told me everything. You dealt V and then blamed Bill for it. And you -" She turned to stare accusingly at Liv and Godric shifted almost imperceptibly next to her.

"I suggest you think very carefully about your next words, Miss Stackhouse," he interrupted her mildly, which at least seemed to make more of an impression on Sookie than Eric's mocking amusement. "Liv has done nothing but try and help you. It was her warning - and from what I understand Mr. Herveaux actually heeding it - that saved you from being drained by Bill when he was injured."

"You don't know that. Bill has excellent control," Sookie protested, turning to smile at the broody vampire.

"It worries me that you think that matters," Godric told her softly before addressing Bill, "I trust you will talk to her about this."

"Bill?" Sookie questioned, uncertainty bleeding into her voice.

Bill's scowl got even deeper. "Sookie is not your concern." He swept his disdainful gaze from Godric to where Liv's fingertips were gently brushing against his left hand. "You tricked me into believing she was some kind of psychic and used that to discredit me."

"I did not ask you to tell either the queen or Russell Edgington about me and it was your decision to pass out my secret like it was Halloween candy," Liv pointed out, feeling her cheeks flush with annoyance at Bill's hypocrisy.

Bill answered her with a glare and she squared her shoulders. Behind her, Godric softly cleared his throat and the younger vampire quickly focused on Eric instead. "You spun a web of lies to convince the queen that she couldn't trust me anymore and -"

"Correction, Bill: You plotted against her majesty and me, your sheriff, and decided to side with a homicidal maniac," Eric retorted, suddenly large and imposing as he crowded into Bill's personal space and loomed threateningly over him. "Did you expect to be rewarded, Bill? More than you already have?"

"What are you talking about?" Bill demanded angrily.

"You're still residing in my area, aren't you? And you still call Sookie yours," Eric pointed out and Liv couldn't imagine anyone packing more contempt into those words. "Because Liv convinced the queen that you shouldn't be punished for the mere intention of committing regicide and that Sookie should be allowed to make her own foolish choices. Personally, I couldn't agree less."

"You did that for us?" Sookie asked carefully after a brief moment of tense silence. "But you don't even like Bill."

Liv sighed softly before replying, "I don't know him very well, and I'm not sure you do either. So no, I don't think you should marry him. But it's a decision you have to make for yourself, without anyone's interference… And maybe I felt that I still owed you something after all. I never got round to returning that dress you lent me."

Sookie giggled, breaking out into a bright, honest smile and for a moment she was transformed into a being of pure light, radiant and lovely. It had an immediate effect on Bill, and to a lesser extent on Eric, which prompted Bill to slink a little closer, and then again closer, resting a possessive hand on Sookie's waist and glare at the taller vampire.

Liv slipped her hand into Godric's and felt a feather-light kiss against her cheek. When she turned to smile at him Godric's kind, warm eyes were already focused on her, only on her, and she felt her heart swell with happiness and love. Sookie deserved to have that as well, she thought, someone who appreciated her for her wit and charm, her bravery and loyalty, her insatiable curiosity and incredible strength – and not just for her fairy blood or abilities.

Sookie gasped, taking a quick step forward. "You… you really believe that? Oh, I'd hug your neck if I could!"

"Oh, you…?" Liv lightly tapped her finger against her temple and Sookie nodded immediately.

"Just briefly, but it was one of the nicest things I've ever heard," Sookie answered with a beaming smile, hardly seeming to notice it when Bill called her name. "I'm sorry we've been quibbling so much lately, and you know, about tonight. I guess I was a little impetuous."

"A little," Liv agreed genially. "I understand, though, and I promise I'll talk to the queen."

"Thank you, Liv," Sookie said. "And maybe you'd like to come around for coffee soon?"

"Definitely," Liv replied with a smile and a nod. "I'll bring pie. Godric's a fantastic chef and baker and by now our whole freezer is overflowing." She turned to smile fondly at the vampire, caressing her fingers lightly against his side.

"But I thought the smell of human food bothered y'all," Sookie said with a furrowed brow, throwing Bill a questioning look. The youngest vampire in the room was starting to look constipated again.

"It can be rather overwhelming for younger vampires," Godric explained readily. "But Eric and I don't mind. I've come to quite like it over the years, actually. Although I don't think I will ever understand humanity's fascination with melted cheese."

Liv laughed and Sookie quickly joined in, the two of them exchanging a conspiratorial look while the three vampires seemed, for once, all in silent agreement that melted cheese was an invention they could have quite frankly done without.

Bill shifted behind Sookie again, reaching for her hand and putting an arm around her waist. "You can reminisce about your shared love for dairy products another time, Sookie. But if there is nothing more she can do for you tonight, I think it is time I took you home."

"You could stay a little while longer and enjoy the party," Liv offered, exchanging a quick look with Eric to make sure he wasn't against her suggestion.

"Oh, that'd be nice," Sookie replied immediately and turned to Bill.

"You said that you have to get up early tomorrow," Bill reminded, clearly not having as much eagerness for the idea.

"But maybe just half an hour? I don't think I've ever gone out dancing," Sookie wheedled and Liv was relieved to see Bill soften almost imperceptibly and give in, reluctantly and sullenly perhaps, but without any further protestations. It made her think that there might be some hope for those two, after all.

v---v

Sookie and Bill only stayed for the announced half hour before they took their leave, but Liv was almost certain that they had both had a good time. Even Bill seemed a little less brooding and Sookie had a brilliant smile on her face and promised to have coffee brewing when Liv came to visit her the day after the next.

Liv had had the vague idea of asking Godric to leave early as well so that they could have a chance to talk, but seeing how happy and carefree he was and how much he enjoyed the Halloween celebrations she changed her mind. Instead she danced with him, allowing him to swirl and twirl and spin her around until she was breathless with laughter. Then he would gather her close to his chest and sway her softly and gently, ignoring whatever music was playing at that moment and making everything else fade into the background.

It was during one of those slower dances that Godric stiffened suddenly, breaking up their movement while simultaneously taking a firmer grip of her waist.

"What is it?" she whispered, startling a little when Eric appeared at their side.

"Do you know who that is?" Eric asked lowly, leaning down slightly to Godric's level. Godric gave a minute shake of his head and Liv peered over her shoulder to see whom they were talking about. It was a surprise, mixed with shock and a frisson of fear, when she recognized the slender, red-haired man immediately.

"That's Dr. Alin Walker," she said quietly, turning back to Godric and Eric and wishing for once they could read her mind and not just her skipping heartbeat.

She reached for Eric's hand, drawing quick letters into his palm. _MAKER RUS. _She didn't have to finish; she could see the realization in their eyes. A moment later, Godric had moved her behind him and the new visitor was standing before them, seeming almost a little embarrassed to be there.

He softly cleared his throat. "Please forgive my intrusion, but are you Eric Northman?"

"I am," Eric said with a measured inclination of his head. "This is my maker Godric and his human Liv."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," he answered with a shy smile. "I understand that my introductions have already been made for me? Please call me Alin."

"What brings you to my area tonight, Alin?" Eric asked with studious calm.

"I must apologize for interrupting your evening like this, Sheriff Northman, Godric, Miss Liv. But might I ask for a moment of your time? Perhaps in a less crowded setting?"

"Of course. My office is this way." Eric indicated the way. "Liv, Pam's at the bar."

"I would like to accompany you, if I may?" Liv asked, lightly squeezing Godric's fingers.

"You would be welcome, of course," Alin said, giving her a kind smile. "May I ask how you recognized me?"

For a second, Godric's fingers closed almost painfully around hers and she did her best to convey that there was nothing to worry about, that she got this and that she didn't need Godric to protect her from this. "I'm a big fan of your work at the Blaustein Pain Treatment Center, sir. I think it's very inspiring what you've accomplished there."

"You are too kind. Truly it is a team effort. I consider myself fortunate that I was offered this opportunity," he answered modestly. "May I ask, do you work in the medical field as well?"

"Liv is a nurse," Godric offered proudly, carefully nudging her into Eric's office and pulling the office chair out for her just as Pam also slipped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"So you are one of the good souls without whom any hospital would collapse," Alin said kindly to her before accepting Eric's offer to take a seat on the sofa. "Thank you, sheriff. The reason for my visit – and I must again apologize for my untimely manner – is that my brother recently passed away and I was informed that you might know more regarding."

"I take it your brother was Russell Edgington."

"That is the name he assumed for himself, yes," Alin agreed, showing them his open hands. "Please know that I did not come here to raise accusations, merely to understand what happened. My brother was not a good person, as he showed everyone in front of live camera, but…"

"He was still your brother," Liv concluded softly. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"He murdered my entire family," Eric spat out before Alin could find himself to another polite reply and Godric's hands landed a little heavily on her shoulders. "I found out about his role in their deaths when I was in Jackson on business for my queen and I did what I had to do to finally make him pay for his crimes. I would not have suffered him to live another day. Even if the Authority hadn't sanctioned my disposal of him."

Alin sighed deeply, bowing his back and staring down at his entwined hands. "Thank you for your honesty, sheriff."

"You were also his maker?" Godric asked gently, loosening his grip on Liv's shoulders when the almost frail looking vampire gave no sign of aggression.

"It was a mistake that has haunted me for millennia," he admitted in a soft, soft voice. "Korun was always… erratic and I knew, deep down, that he did not have the right temperament to be given this kind of power. But I could not let him die. I am indescribably sorry for all the pain my weakness has caused you and others."

"A fat lot of good that does," Pam muttered, loud enough for even Liv to hear.

"You are right," Alin agreed and Liv really didn't like the defeated, pained air around him. She threw Pam a chiding look, then stood up to go to Eric's side since he also clearly needed a hug. Eric gave her a crooked smile and at least some of the rigidness went out of his posture.

"As far as I'm concerned justice has been served and any culpability has been discharged with Russell's death," Eric offered still rather stiffly.

"It's a chapter we would very much like to close, Alin," Godric added gently.

"Of course, I understand," Alin said, slowly getting to his feet. "In truth, I have mourned my brother for most of his life – when instead I should have stood up to him and called a halt to his behavior. But you do not want to hear this, I am sure."

This time it was Eric's hand that landed rather too heavily on her shoulder and she was really starting to wonder when she had given them the impression that she couldn't behave herself in social situations. But she kept quiet, only offering a modest smile when Alin apologized for the interruption again, assured Eric that he would be out of his area before dawn and then said his goodbyes. Eric replied with his own, rather bland salutation, Godric opened the door and in the next blink of the eye, Alin had disappeared.

"Finally," Pam said with an over-the-top groan. "I was afraid we'd be stuck here all night for his sad pity party."

"I think he feels a lot of guilt," Liv offered softly, knowing that chiding Pam for her mean-spirited comment would only result in giving her a headache. "He didn't come here for information – he came to apologize."

"Maybe you should have dressed up as Devil's Advocate instead," Eric said, giving one of her horns a flick with his fingers. Liv wasn't quick enough to duck away, of course, and he grinned at her weak glare.

"He's not his brother," Liv still pointed out. "He's doing a lot of good with his work, both by helping those who suffer from chronic pain and by creating some good publicity for vampires."

Pam gave an indelicate snort. "If he hadn't unleashed his psychopathic brother on the world, there would be no need for that in the first place."

"It's over and done now." Eric shrugged negligently. "And I can think of more enjoyable ways to create good publicity."

He gave Liv an exaggerated wink and exchanged smirks with Pam as the two of them went to rejoin the party, leaving Godric and Liv and a moment of rather uncomfortable silence that she wasn't quite sure how to explain.

"Eric really doesn't seem to like my costume," Liv said as she started to nestle at the hairpins that held her horns in place. Pam had done an excellent job of fitting them into her hair, but by now their weight was getting uncomfortable and several of the pins were digging painfully into her scalp.

Godric gently took her by the elbow, leading her over to the sofa and perching on the armrest behind her to help with unravelling her hair from her costume.

"Don't take it to heart. He was hoping you would go dressed as a nurse. He's been thinking up jokes for the last few weeks," Godric explained, making her chuckle before they fell back into silence.

"Godric?" Liv finally asked when Godric had undone both horns; she turned around and reached for his cold hand. "Is something wrong?"

Godric looked down at their joined hands for a moment, lightly tracing the veins on the back of her hand with his finger. "Do you think I should get a job?"

"Do you want to get a job?" Liv asked carefully, a little lost when Godric shook his head then shrugged. "Right, what's going on?"

Godric sighed, seeming still rather reluctant. "You had a lot of admiration for Dr. Walker and his work and I'm not doing anything so worthwhile with my time."

Liv squeezed Godric's fingers a little tighter to make him look up. "The hell you aren't," she said firmly, but gently. "You're a fantastic mentor to Bubba and Jessica and you're always willing to help or give advice to anyone who asks. You're the one who makes our house feel like a proper home, running the household, cleaning and cooking and doing a thousand little things just so that Eric and I don't have to. You pack the leftover food from our fridge into care packages so that I can hand them out at the clinic and when I called you last week you dropped everything and rushed over to act as an interpreter for one of our patients - and then you also comforted the family when it turned out that their son needed surgery. You don't need a job title to do any of those things or to be a good person and that's what you are, every day of the week, Sundays and holidays included.

"So, yes, I admire Dr. Walker's work, but not as much as I admire **you** \- adore you really, love you to the ends of the world and back," Liv concluded with a tender smile, placing a row of kisses on Godric's cheeks and the bridge of his nose. "Okay?"

"Okay," Godric agreed with a small smile of his own. "I guess I was feeling a little insecure. I'm not used to competing for your attention."

"Would it help you to know that I thought some of the views he expressed in the interview I read were rather outdated and sexist?" Liv offered.

"It would," Godric admitted, grinning a bit wider and pulling her in for a proper kiss. "Tell me more."

Liv snorted out a laugh, shaking her head at Godric's eagerness. "How about I tell you all the things I love about you, instead?"

"Or…" Godric paused dramatically, glancing pointedly at the space to the right of Eric's desk. "We could revive the memories of your first visit to Fangtasia?"

"My first… oh. Oh! I…" Godric furrowed his brow at her hesitation, toning down his giddy deviousness to his usual tender regard.

"It was just a suggestion, Liv."

"I know, and I want to. So, so much. But there's something I need to talk to you about first and I don't want to do it here," Liv tried to explain, sending Godric a pleading look. "Raincheck?"

"It's a bit cloudy, but it's not raining, Liv," Godric offered with an adorably confused frown.

She chuckled, brushing a light kiss over his lips. "It's just an expression. It means I would like to come back to your idea at a later time."

"I look forward to it," Godric answered happily. "Did you want to go home now so that we can talk?"

"I don't mind if you want to stay a bit longer. Halloween is only once a year after all."

Godric listened to something for a moment before he shook his head and offered her his hand. "I think I would rather go home and just be with you."

"Then let's go," Liv said, quietly pleased, accepting Godric's hand and getting to her feet.

* * *

_Just imagine me standing here with a candy bucket, waiting for you to fill it with your reviews..._


	2. Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour

**2\. Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour – The Tales of Hoffmann - Jacques Offenbach**

It was probably still another hour to sunrise when they settled on her bed upstairs, both in comfortable sleepwear and more or less ready for bed. Liv had closed the blinds and shuttered the windows as a precaution, just in case they lost track of time. They were sitting opposite each other, Liv framed in the bracket of Godric's legs as she carefully reached for his hands. Godric lightly squeezed her fingers in return, giving her an encouraging smile, and waited patiently for her to start talking. Liv took a deep breath.

"I've been feeling a bit uncomfortable with our… lovemaking recently." She could read the burgeoning panic on his face and continued quickly, "I don't have a lot of experience and it all feels so new and wonderful… and overwhelming. I don't know what to do or how to act or how to touch you or…"

"You can do anything, try anything, Liv," Godric assured her gently and not for the first time.

"I know, I know you mean that," Liv said, her voice growing even softer as she looked pleadingly at the dark-haired vampire. "But I want to make all these experiences **with** you – together. I want you to help me figure out what I like and show me what you like. I want it to be about us, our pleasure. Right now it feels like I'm in this alone, just flailing around with no sense of direction while you're only there as a passive observer."

"I just want you to feel safe and in control," Godric protested quietly.

"Because of my visions?" Liv asked, just to be sure that they were on the same page.

Godric nodded, carefully cupping her cheek in his hand. "I don't want you to have to deal with my memories, especially during these moments of our intimacy. I don't want Claudius to intrude on our love."

Liv sighed, closing her eyes and enjoying Godric's infinitely tender caress. He broke contact a moment later, before their three seconds of freedom were up. "I don't want that either. But you don't have to give up control just to make me feel safer. It has the opposite effect."

Godric furrowed his brow before he admitted, "I don't understand."

Liv lightly shook her head, taking Godric's right hand between both of hers and smiling gently to take the bite out of her words, "I know you're a vampire. I know you could snap me like a twig, snuff me out before I could even blink. And I suppose it should worry me, but it doesn't because I also know that I could stop you with a word, with less than that, a glance, a skip in my heartbeat. I always feel safe when we're together because I know you're in control – and I don't have to be."

Godric listened to her quietly, a pensive expression on his eternally young face, and froze into complete stillness at her last words. Liv waited a moment, but then scooted a little closer, resting her cheek against his chest and burying her nose against his shirt to breathe in his soothing, earthy scent.

"I'm sorry, Liv. It was never my intention to make you uncomfortable," Godric murmured softly, tucking his arms around her and pulling her to lie down on the sheets, safely sheltered beneath his body. "And I'm sorry I did not take your concerns seriously when you tried to talk to me before. I wasn't ready to admit that perhaps I hadn't unlearned my past as thoroughly as I had hoped."

Liv sighed, glad that Godric was finally opening up to her, though her heart hurt at the pain in his voice. "Do you like sex?" she asked again, as gently as she could.

"I do," Godric replied before he continued with palpable reluctance, "But I don't like to submit. I don't like to give up control. Not even to you."

"Okay. That's okay," Liv replied immediately, gently carding her fingers through Godric's soft hair. "I promise."

For the next little while they just lay quietly in each other's arms, held each other and enjoyed the wordless comfort of being together again, without any reservations or misunderstandings between them. She only realized how strained and tense they had both been, when she suddenly felt Godric relax with some minute, unidentifiable shift and the tension seeped out of her own body in response. They would figure it out. Trial and error was what they excelled at, after all.

v---v

"Let me," Godric asked, moving behind her and helping her to unzip her dress, gently sliding the dark blue fabric down over her shoulders. It pooled around her feet, leaving her naked except for her underwear. Godric lightly traced the strap of her bra with his fingers and leaned down to place a feathery kiss against her left breast. "My beautiful Liv, whatever shall I do with you today?"

"What do you want to do with me?" Liv replied with a smile, well familiar and comfortable by now with the new pattern they had established.

It had taken them some time, patience and many mutual reassurances and carefully picked words till they had figured out how they each wanted and needed to approach their time together. It hadn't been easy, but Liv had done her best to put words to how she was fine with not being in control - actually rejoiced in the freedom it afforded her - as long as she knew what was going on and that she had a choice. Godric had replied with his own timid confession that he found it easier to enjoy himself, during sex and in general, when he was in charge, but had stressed that he was eager to make this experience with her and happy to oblige any of her wishes.

He'd also insisted on taking it slowly, taking their time. Liv had been skeptical at first, but she had to admit that she was glad for it now because it had eased the weight of expectation and made it so that she could simply enjoy all the new experiences Godric introduced her to, without having to worry what they might lead to. And she loved their new ritual where Godric would tell her about his plans for the evening and put them to her for her approval.

"I want to caress you everywhere, without a barrier of clothing, and find out what other delicious sounds I can draw from you," he'd whispered on their first night of this new routine. "Would you like that?"

"I want to kiss every mole, every freckle, every scar, every tiny mark that you consider an imperfection but which to me is only further proof of how beautiful and wonderful you are," he'd declared another time. "If I may?"

"I want to give you a massage and help you relax. And then I want to hold you in my arms as you drift off to sleep," he'd murmured when she had come home after a double shift, tired and exhausted with her muscles tied into a thousand knots. "Do you think you might enjoy that?"

"I want to drive you wild with desire, make you lose all inhibitions, all control and taste the sweet fragrance of your arousal on your skin," he'd whispered to her the next night with a wicked grin. "Can I interest you in that?"

Liv had always answered with a resounding yes, which had led to some very pleasurable and enjoyable experiences. The night before, though, Godric had switched things up by asking her what she wanted to do, seeming slightly bemused but also flattered when she'd admitted that she'd always wanted to trace his tattoos with her tongue and learn their meaning. Liv had been a little worried at first that Godric might draw back into his passive shell, but instead he had all but preened under her attention, turning this way and that to show off his tattoos and repainting the designs on her skin as he'd explained their meaning. It had been very light-hearted and fun and Liv couldn't wait to hear what Godric had planned for tonight.

"I want to spoil you and worship you and make you feel like the goddess you are." He smoothly dropped to his knees in front of her and breathed a feather-light kiss against the soft lace of her slip, and she almost missed his next words because of the surge of pleasure that shot through her veins. "I want to fulfill your every desire, cridiíon imon."

"Oh," she breathed out when his words registered. "Really?"

"Only if you wish to share this experience with me," Godric replied immediately, rising to his feet at her urging. "Do you?"

"Yes, Godric," Liv replied with a soft smile, leaning in to brush a gentle kiss against Godric's lips. "I've wanted that for a long time."

Godric laughed and shook his head. "I think we have very different definitions of what constitutes 'a long time', Liv. Still, I'm sorry I stretched your patience. Let me to make it up to you now."

"Yes, please," Liv answered eagerly, placing a few soft kisses against Godric's smiling lips and pressing herself gently against his body.

Godric took a very, very careful hold of her hip, placing his fingers lightly on the slip of fabric that still protected her skin and then nudged her towards the bed, leading her over the path of red rose petals he had scattered over the floor in a swirling design of two intertwined hearts. He made her sit down on the edge of the bed, on the fresh, crisp linens, beneath a canopy of soft fairy lights, and easily dropped to his knees again.

"Might I take a sip of your blood?" he asked politely, indicating the inside of her thigh as he continued, "And might I take it from here?"

"Of course," Liv agreed immediately, spreading her legs a little wider in invitation.

"I don't want to bring back any bad memories," Godric still cautioned. "Eric wasn't gentle or considerate when he bit you."

Liv gave a negligent shrug, slipping her fingers into Godric's soft hair. "I don't really remember it. But I will remember this."

Godric grinned up at her, a happy, impish smirk with his fangs on full display. He bent over her thigh, breathed a small kiss against her fragile skin and then punched his fangs quickly and almost painlessly into her flesh. Liv threw her head back and tightened her hand in Godric's hair, surprised by the intense wave of sheer lust that shot through her veins.

"What was that?" she asked in breathless wonder as Godric lightly pushed her to lie down on the bed, stretching out above her, but without letting her take any of his weight. "I didn't expect… that."

Godric chuckled, brushing his lips softly against her cheek. "The inside of your thigh is a little more intimate than your wrist or your neck, cridiíon imon. And I wanted to start this night off on the right note."

"You definitely did that," Liv agreed, sliding her hands under his shirt and caressing up his back and over the fine black lines of the ram-headed snake - a symbol of the horned god Cernunnos, the guardian of life, fertility, nature and wealth.

Godric smiled a pleased little smile before he leaned down to claim her lips in a proper, leisurely kiss, applying just the right amount of pressure and adding a few little nibbles to her bottom lip because he knew how much she enjoyed it. He also knew how much she liked it when he kissed her breasts and swirled his tongue around her nipples; how he could drive her absolutely wild by tapping and caressing his fingers gently on her mons veneris; how anything but the lightest touch was likely to overwhelm her sensitive nerves and risked knocking her out of her vision-free zone.

It made everything now feel natural, exciting but without the trembling nervousness of the unknown. She could let go of her worries, the tightly wound hypervigilance that carried her through the day, and just enjoy Godric's ministrations, his absolute, unwavering commitment to her wellbeing and pleasure. Truthfully, it did make her feel like a goddess, just as Godric had planned.

Though there was one thing: "How can it be that you're still fully dressed?" she asked a little muzzily, basking in the afterglow of the orgasm Godric had teased from her body. "It's not fair."

Godric laughed, dropping a kiss to her forehead before he sat up and smoothly pulled his shirt over his head, wiggling out of his pants and underwear in a blur of movement.

He grinned at her, no doubt noticing her appreciative gaze. "Is this better, cridiíon imon?"

"Much," Liv agreed happily, reaching out to draw Godric back down to her level. "I love that I get to see you like this."

He beamed and stretched out on his side next to her, tracing her shoulder and arm, her waist and hip with one single finger as if to chase the shivers of her pleasure on her skin. "I could look at you for the rest of my life and be happy," he confessed, then grinned a little impishly at her. "But that's not what I have in mind for you for tonight."

"Thank goodness!" Liv answered immediately with a gusty sigh and a grin of her own before she wiggled a little closer and placed a row of small, nipping kisses on the stylized black spearheads around Godric's neck, knowing now that the tattoo had been the final step in his initiation into manhood. "I don't want to wait any longer."

Godric laughed, the sound reverberating in his chest against her lips. He gently carded his fingers through her hair and then trailed them down between her breasts and further past her navel with maddening slowness. When he was finally touching her where she desperately yearned to be touched, in the epicenter of her pleasure, it still wasn't enough and she arched into his touch with a desperate little moan. Godric obliged her by gently caressing her folds, dipping just the tip of his finger into her and circling it slowly.

It had been almost too much, the first time Godric had touched her like that, and now too she felt a strong wave of arousal, followed by an even stronger surge of anticipation. Godric hummed soothingly and encouraged her to slow down, still a little too reserved and restrained for Liv's taste. But she knew just how to make him loosen the tight reins of his control. She slipped her hand down between their bodies and skirted her fingers timidly over the velvety skin of Godric's rock-hard erection, smiling triumphantly to herself when he thrust their bodies together and pressed into her light touch. In the next moment, he had rolled her onto her back in one smooth movement, settling between her legs. Liv wrapped her legs around his hips and tried to pull him closer, feeling an electrifying shot of arousal when his erection brushed against her entrance.

"Shh, just one moment," Godric murmured, slipping out of her embrace before she could protest and returning a second later with a box of condoms and another item in his hand. "Do you want us to use a condom?" he offered, though he looked a little skeptically down at the brightly colored box. "Eric showed me how to put one on."

His words created a rather mind-boggling image in her head and she didn't quite know whether to be aroused or jealous. Godric laughed, no doubt noticing her conflicted expression, and dropped a quick kiss onto her lips before he elaborated, "About 65 years ago. I never yet had occasion to put that knowledge to practical use."

"Oh," Liv breathed out, a little surprised, a little sad, a little relieved, pushing up slightly so that she could cup Godric's smiling face in her hand. "Maybe we could save that experience for another night, then? I'm all for safer sex, but we don't really need to worry about that, do we?"

"You will always be safe with me," Godric promised, furrowing his brow a little as he stumbled over her use of terminology.

"I know that," Liv replied with a reassuring smile, caressing his cheek and leaning in for a soft kiss. "I meant that we don't need to worry about sexually transmitted diseases. So what else have you got there?"

Godric held up the other item, a small tube of lubricant, for her inspection. "It has a warming effect to balance out my low body temperature and help your muscles to stay relaxed."

"That's very thoughtful of you, thank you," Liv murmured, stealing another kiss from his smiling lips.

"Eric suggested it," Godric said and Liv gave him a good-natured eye roll, squeaking in surprise when Godric retaliated by pushing her back down onto the bed with a wicked grin. "Enough of that. We're now returning to our regularly scheduled program."

Liv was startled into a bright laugh, the question how and where Godric had picked up that phrase already on her tongue when Godric wiped all these distractions from her mind by nudging his thumb lightly against her clitoris while simultaneously pressing one slick finger into her. Liv arched with a muted shout, a wordless plea for more, and Godric was only too happy to oblige.

He stroked and caressed her with infinite patience, gently easing his slickened fingers into her tight passage and spreading warmth and pleasure all around. She made a sound of protest when he pulled back, but he soothed her with a kiss, tilting her chin up so that she would meet his gaze.

"I'd like to take another sip of your blood before we continue," he murmured. "All right?"

Liv briefly wondered how much time had already passed and listened into herself for the tell-tale pressure of an impending vision. There was nothing, not yet, but she trusted in Godric's judgment and gave him a small nod. Godric covered her neck and throat with soft, feathery kisses, sending shivers through her body when he lightly scraped his fangs over the delicate skin.

She slid her fingers into his soft hair, encouraging him to take as much of her blood as he wanted, but wasn't surprised when he barely seemed to nick her skin before she heard the soft snick of his fangs retracting. He placed a few more kisses on her neck, humming in approval when she returned the favor and lightly nibbled on his ear.

"Godric," Liv whispering, arching her body again. "Please."

He smiled at her, so openly and tenderly that it almost managed to temper the raw desire in his eyes. It made her feel treasured and powerful at the same time, reaffirming the confidence Godric always inspired in her. She moaned and thrust her pelvis up against his heavy erection, grappling at his shoulder and then tugging on his hips to finally get him into position.

Godric allowed himself to be maneuvered for a moment, but then gave her uncoordinated jerks a new direction, pulling her to sit up between his own spread legs and encouraging her to throw her legs over his hips. It made it so that they were facing each other, both encircled in the loose frame of the other's legs, their sexes only a breath apart.

"Put your hand on my neck, cridiíon imon," Godric instructed her gently, placing his own hand on her waist and nudging her a little closer, the tip of his erection nestling into the soft curls of her pubic hair. He froze and his eyes closed for a second, such a stark, desperate look of longing flashing over his ageless features that she couldn't help but kiss him.

And just like that, Godric's patience and restraint snapped. He surged forward into the kiss, claiming her lips as if he had only now realized that he was allowed to touch her, that she was truly his. And then he slid into her, so slowly, so carefully, whispering compliments into her ear to make sure that she knew how much he loved and cherished her – pausing when he was finally fully inside of her and allowing her to catch her breath as his hands caressed gently up and down her spine and spread the pleasure that was already tingling through her body.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. "Are you in any pain?"

Liv panted, shifting slightly and feeling the heavy girth of Godric's erection against her inner walls. She threw back her head as her muscles clenched instinctively and a fresh wave of dopamine flooded her brain. "Full - no, that's not the word, complete," she finally answered then broke off into another moan. "Guh, please don't make me talk right now."

Godric laughed, giving her a few more moments to calm her breathing before he started to move with a slow deliberate roll of his hips, thrusting smoothly up into the tightness and warmth of her body. An entire galaxy flashed before her eyes. She clutched closer to his neck, needing that connection so that she wouldn't be lost completely in the fireworks of her pleasure even as she inexorably tumbled over the edge, swept through the swirling intensity of her orgasm.

Godric pushed up into her body one, two, three more times before he grasped her hips and held her snug as his own release bathed her insides, cool against the heat generated by her own body and the lubricant, but not as cold as she had feared. It felt right and perfect, and her heart swelled with emotion, with a fierce love and possessiveness.

"I'm yours, cridiíon imon, and you are mine. Forever," Godric vowed, as if reading her mind, blowing a soft kiss against her lips and then very carefully slipped out of her, murmuring an apology when her overstimulated nerves gave a twinge of protest.

"I feel like we're floating," Liv commented hazily. "Are we floating?"

"No," Godric replied and she could hear the amusement in his voice though she didn't quite have the energy to open her eyes.

"Feels like it," Liv insisted, snuggling in against his chest. "'s nice. I think I'll stay here."

Godric chuckled, gathering her close and pressing her gently against himself, tenderly caressing over her back and buttocks as he waited for her to ride out the aftershocks of her orgasm.

"Is it always like this?" Liv mumbled eventually, running her nose over Godric's cheek, along his hairline. "Because if it is, I don't think I ever want to leave this bedroom again."

He grinned at her, tenderly brushing her wild hair out of her face. "It can be, though I had rather planned to make the experience last a little bit longer next time."

"I'm sorry, I know I kind of rushed to the finish line without you," Liv murmured, relieved when Godric shook his head immediately.

"You were perfect, Liv. I love how responsive you are for me." He gently sealed her lips with a kiss and smiled. "And despite how often you reproached me for dragging my heels and being a tease, I would not have wanted to wait even a second longer."

"I'm glad we took it so slowly before," Liv admitted, sighing happily when Godric carefully lay her down on the bed and wrapped her in his strong arms again. "This was so intense, all of it, not just tonight, and if it had come at me all at once it would have been too overwhelming. I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it. So thank you, Godric, you're wonderful."

"You're very welcome," Godric answered, gently pulling the blanket up over her nude form when he noticed her shiver. "You don't know what a gift you are to me, Liv. Every single moment with you is a moment I treasure."

"I feel the same way about you," Liv replied softly, returning Godric's beaming smile with one of her own. "This was so much more than I had ever hoped for – and so are you. I love you, Godric."

"And I love you," Godric replied, gathering her in his secure embrace and brushing his lips over her forehead. She buried her nose against his chest and closed her eyes, feeling content and settled and pleasantly lethargic.

"You can go to sleep, Liv," Godric murmured a little bit later. "I'll take you downstairs when it's time."

"No," Liv protested, not caring in the least that she sounded a bit whiny. "If I go to sleep this night will be over. And I don't want it to be over. I want to enjoy it and share it with you."

Godric was quiet for a moment, but then gave in, just as she had known he would. He smiled at her, placing a soft, teasing kiss on her nose. "In that case, I'm a little curious what you did hope for in a lover, in your ideal man, if I managed to surpass your expectations so thoroughly."

"I don't know," Liv answered before she gave his question serious consideration. "I guess most of the time, I did my best not to think about it because it would only have made me sad." She rolled around, folding her arms over Godric's chest and resting her chin on her hands so that she could look at him properly and would know immediately if her words upset him in any way. "But probably a bit like Eric – flirtatious and carefree, with heaps of charism and confidence to spare. Someone who could make me laugh and who would take me on adventures." She grinned and shook her head at her own younger self. "But you know, in my imagination I was different too: I didn't have these visions, for one, and I was fearless and rambunctious, with a witty comeback for everything and quite a few feminine wiles."

"Your dream self sounds like a proper vamp," Godric murmured, grinning at her surprise. "Eric explained that expression to me. Apparently it's a very apt description for many of his female acquaintances."

"I can believe that," Liv replied with an amused smile. "But I don't think it's me."

"Oh, I don't know," Godric answered teasingly, capturing her hand and pressing a kiss to her wrist. "I'm very impressed with your feminine wiles, cridiíon imon."

Liv laughed, but then broke off suddenly when she felt a sharp twinge in her temple, the mounting pressure behind her eyes. "Godric," she whispered, pushing away with an ataxic jerk and Godric reacted immediately, sliding out from beneath her and kneeling down at the side of the bed instead so that there was no risk of them making skin contact.

Liv took a deep breath and sat up slowly, masking her disappointment with a timid smile. "That came on a bit suddenly - I guess we must have lost track of time. But I'm okay, I promise. I'm still more than okay."

"I thought we would have at least five more minutes," Godric answered with an unhappy furrow between his brows.

"We still have the rest of the night," Liv pointed out gently, reaching for Godric's hand and briefly intertwining their fingers. "Come back up here, please, so that I can finish answering your question."

She smiled, gently carding her fingers through Godric's soft brown hair and leaning in to steal a quick kiss when he once more joined her on the bed. "You see, you're just as charming and funny and dashing as the man of my fantasies. But you also have this immense capacity for goodness that just leaves me awestruck. You're genuine and kind and infinitely patient and you always manage to make me feel more sure of myself. And when you pay me a compliment I know that you're not just saying it to be polite or to butter me up. I know you mean it."

"Of course I do," Godric murmured, lightly stroking her cheek before he had to break the connection. "You're the light of my life, cridiíon imon, you're strong and beautiful and kind. A moment of utter perfection in my dreary existence."

Liv smiled through her blush and pulled Godric in for another kiss before she answered, "And the fact that you think that makes it so that I can actually start to believe those things about myself. Though, I do hope you don't still think of your life as 'dreary'."

She mock-glared at Godric, who only grinned and blew her a kiss. "How could I think so after I just made love to the woman of my dreams for the first time?"

Liv laughed happily and snuggled down next to Godric, pulling the covers up between them so that they could enjoy their closeness for a little while longer.

v---v

Liv pulled the car into the garage and cut the engine as the gate lowered automatically behind her. She got out and listened for a moment, waiting to see if either Godric or Eric would come and greet her like they normally did. When the garage remained quiet, she walked around the car and opened the boot before turning towards the door that connected the garage with the main house.

"Could I get some help with carrying this in, please?" she asked at a normal volume, knowing that either vampire would be able to hear her if they were home.

A second later, Godric appeared at her side, looking at her as if she had personally hung the moon and all the stars in his universe and as if he couldn't quite believe that she was actually there. She felt much the same way about him.

"Hi," she whispered and made no attempt to tame the besotted smile that she could feel stretching her lips.

"Hi," Godric murmured back, mirroring her smile with one of his own and gently enclosing her in his arms. "I missed you, cridiíon imon."

The way he said it brought a flush to her cheeks and she quickly leaned in for a kiss in lieu of a verbal reply. Godric hummed happily, returning the kiss with gentle pressure and lightly caressing along her back. He pulled back a moment later, gave her another tender smile before he danced around her and started to load himself with shopping bags.

Liv also reached for one of the bags – the one with the coffee since that was the item which had sent her out in the first place. When she turned back around, she startled slightly to find Eric stood just behind her, with a deep scowl on his face. "You still smell nice."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Liv remarked, not sure whether to be offended or merely confused.

"Eric was expecting your natural scent to have changed after last night," Godric offered lightly, already on his second round of shopping bags, and dropped a soft kiss into her hair before he disappeared into the house again.

Liv smiled after him before she turned back to face Eric, a sharp retort already on her tongue. Her anger evaporated immediately when she noticed the stiffness of his posture and the way he was very obviously holding his breath. "Does my smell bother you that much? Eric?"

Her question seemed to shake Eric out of his stupor, at last, and in the next second she found herself smushed against his broad chest as he inhaled deeply against her neck. "I just wasn't expecting it. And I think we both would like to avoid a repetition of the last time I enjoyed your scent a little too much."

"I'm not worried about that," Liv replied softly, wrapping her arms around Eric's waist and resting her cheek comfortably against his sternum. "I could use a different deodorant, one with a stronger fragrance, if that would help?"

Eric laughed, the noise rumbling in his chest. "You know it doesn't work like that. I guess I'll just have to invest a little more time in your further corruption, since Godric taking your virginity didn't quite do the trick."

"That's not funny, Eric," Liv gave back, detaching from his embrace and glaring up at him when she saw his smirk. "I mean it. This entire concept of 'virginity', of my level of sexual experience being something that can be lost or taken or corrupted is offensive, misogynistic and has absolutely no medical or scientific basis. Please try to remember that."

"I like it when you get mad at me, all hot and flustered - I might almost get the wrong idea…" Eric replied with a tooth-bearing smirk that only got wider at her unimpressed scowl. "Relax, little dove, your objection has been duly noted, though that doesn't change the fact that virgin blood does have something… a little extra. The taste of innocence, for lack of a better word."

Liv rolled her eyes, realizing that she would never win an argument about blood against a vampire, but still very much in disagreement. "But my scent hasn't changed, you admitted so yourself."

"Correction, my dear Liv, I only said that you still smelled nice," Eric replied with a smirk, moving close again and taking another deep sniff against her neck. "Very nice. I think we're going to keep you."

Liv's eye roll turned into a squeak when Eric suddenly swung her up into his arms, groceries and all. "Hey, what are you doing? Eric! Let me down at once!"

Eric grinned down at her, holding her a little tighter. "But you asked us to help you carry things inside."

"And I clearly meant the groceries, you big doofus," Liv protested, biting back her laughter.

"Now, is that any way to talk to the man of your dreams?" Eric teased, shielding her head as he moved them into the kitchen and then setting her down gently.

"Are you ever not listening in on us?" Liv asked, slightly exasperated. She took a moment to find her footing again before she got the coffee out of her shopping bag and handed the rest over to Godric. The older vampire had his own storage system, one where food items, cooking utensils and tableware changed places sporadically and seemingly at random, so it was best if she just let him put the groceries away where he wanted them to go.

Godric gave her a chagrined look. "I told Eric about our conversation last night. Was that not okay?"

Liv leaned in to smooth out his frown with gentle fingertips, smiling slightly. "Of course you can talk to Eric and I don't mind if you want to share private details with him. But I'd rather do without Eric giving me a performance review for last night."

Eric laughed, handing her a cup for her coffee from one of the upper shelves. "How small-minded of you to assume that my feedback would be anything but constructive. For example -"

Liv nudged him gently in the side. "I don't need an example, thank you. And you know that I'm grateful for all your help, right?"

"Oh, so you liked the lube? You're welcome, of course. And you know if you're interested in other supplies, you only need to say the word. I'm happy to share," Eric handed her the milk with an exaggerated leer that only got more wicked at her eye roll. He didn't give her a chance to reply, instead swiveling away to follow Godric through the kitchen and switch of appliances as the older vampire pulled a small loaf of bread out of the oven, took two pots and a pan from the stove and grabbed a bowl of salad from the fridge.

Once Godric had assembled all the food on a plate, he set it on the table and gentlemanly pulled a chair out for Liv, giving her a hopeful smile. "Would you care for some dinner, cridiíon imon?"

"I would," Liv replied with a smile, accepting the bottle of Tru Blood Eric had handed her and popping it into the microwave next to the state-of-the-art coffee machine before she slid into her seat. "This looks and smells amazing. Thank you."

Godric beamed at her, leaning down for a sweet little kiss and murmuring a soft thank you before he also took a seat, Eric following a moment later.

"So what are our plans for tonight?" Liv asked after she had enjoyed the first few bites of her salmon steak, the still warm bread, steamed carrots and spinach.

"Nan has scheduled me for another interview," Eric offered, sounding none-too-pleased. "Her form of petty revenge, no doubt."

"Maybe she just realized that you're very telegenic," Liv suggested mildly. "You were very charming and relatable in the last clip, even my aunts thought so. And half of my colleagues have decided to visit your club as soon as possible."

"You did say that business at Fangtasia has started to pick up again, that you have fewer protesters blocking the doors since you made the first public service announcement," Godric added helpfully. "And you know that Russell burned too many bridges as that we could rebuild them over night."

"Yes, and the AVL is paying Sophie-Anne to fix that," Eric replied, unimpressed. "Nan is just sore that she's been demoted to public relations coordinator and so she's decided to paint a target on my back. There have been two attempts on my life just this last week." Liv's heart missed a beat before it started to race in protest and Eric threw her a chiding look. "Don't do that. I'm absolutely fine, as you can see."

"Eric wasn't supposed to tell you about this," Godric offered, for once thoroughly missing the mark. "We didn't want you to worry."

"I'd rather worry about your safety than about you not telling me the truth," Liv gave back fiercely, sending him a glare for good measure.

Godric gave her a chagrined look. "I had not thought about it like that. I'm sorry, Liv. If we have any cause for concern in future we will tell you, I promise."

She fixed him with her eyes for a moment longer to make sure that they were really on the same page before she nodded decisively and turned to Eric. "Good. Let me see, then."

She reached for Eric's wrist, lightly resting her fingers against his radial artery as if to take his pulse. She closed her eyes and quickly pushed through the first layer of silence, dismissed the by now familiar images of Eric's past that flitted before her inner eye like annoying gnats and instead tried to sneak a peek at what might await him in the future. There was nothing to see, though, and she pulled out of her vision and released Eric's wrist with a soft sigh of relief.

"As I said, I'm fine," Eric commented, pretending to be annoyed, and got up to get the bottle of Tru Blood from the microwave.

Godric stood up as well, leaning over her and pressing a kiss into her hair. "I'm proud of you."

"What, why?" Liv asked, still a little surprised as both vampires slid back into their seats.

Godric smiled tenderly at her before he explained, "You've come a long way from the woman who was afraid of touch."

Liv also started to smile. "I really have, haven't I?" She carefully took Godric's hand in hers, feeling him return her light squeeze as they beamed at each other.

"Could you two stop being so obnoxiously happy?" Eric groused, taking a large gulp of Tru Blood and grimacing in distaste.

"No," Liv and Godric said in unison, grinning a little bit wider; Eric rolled his eyes and huffed out a sigh, but Liv still noticed a slight upward twitch of his lips and an amused light in his eyes and knew that he was also happy for her, for them.

"I picked up your clothes from the dry cleaners. They're still on the backseat, if you want to wear one of your suits for the interview," she offered placably, sending Eric a gentle smile. "When do we have to be at Fangtasia?"

"We?" Eric asked, after acknowledging her info about his clothes with a nod.

"We're coming with you," Liv said and gently nudged Eric's shin with her toes. "Just to keep you company, of course. I know you don't need us to hold your hand."

"Aww, now you disappoint me, Liv," Eric gave back. "One night of sex and already you're stiffing me on affection."

"I don't think that's what Liv meant, Eric. That phrase has a more broadly defined idiomatic meaning," Godric corrected, looking to Liv for confirmation and then glancing at Eric again. "Oh, you made a joke. I see. I don't know if it was very funny, though."

"You made it funny," Liv assured him with a soft smile, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth as she got up and gathered her plates to put them in the dishwasher. She lightly buzzed Eric's cheek on her way back, just to make sure that he had no cause to feel left out. "Thank you for dinner. It was fantastic as always. I especially liked the bread."

"I've made dessert as well," Godric offered in a hopeful way. "I tried out that recipe for espresso risotto that you thought sounded good."

"I still think that it sounds good," Liv replied, smiling to herself at Godric's fingers caressing tenderly across her back before he moved to get the dessert from the fridge. The dish looked even better than the picture she remembered from one of Godric's many cookbooks, freshly garnished with a light dusting of brown sugar and a dollop of cream. And it tasted heavenly, the slight bitterness of the coffee blending perfectly with the sweet caramel flavor of the sugar, creamy and not as filling as she had feared. She still promised herself that she would add a few extra minutes to her weekly run.

"And it tastes even better," Liv said in answer to Godric's patiently inquiring look. "You have to make this when my aunts come to visit. Beth will absolutely love this."

"Then I will," Godric promised, quietly pleased. "I added a bit of vanilla because I know you like it."

"Thank you, love." Liv smiled. "You always find ways to make me feel special."

"You're welcome and you are special," Godric murmured, lightly bumping his knee against hers.

"Yes, yes, we went over this already," Eric interjected, looking up from his cellphone to let them see the full effects of his eye roll. "Liv is a very special snowflake and you're the embodiment of all her innermost wishes. Let's move on, then. Liv, could you stop by the club Thursday evening?"

"I'm working on Thursday. We're organizing a blood drive together with other hospitals and clinics," Liv answered, taking another bite of dessert. "Which reminds me, would you mind if I donated blood?"

"It's your blood and it's your body," Godric replied gently. "It's your decision."

"I know, but I'd still like to hear your opinion," Liv answered just as gently, knowing already that she wouldn't do it if Godric wasn't a hundred percent okay with it.

"I don't mind, Liv," Godric said. "I'll pack you some extra lunch, though."

"Perfect," Liv agree with a grin, leaning in for a sweet kiss. "I also thought I could bring some of your pies – we're offering drinks and apples, but I have a feeling we're going to get more volunteers if we can entice them with some of your food."

"I'll make some sandwiches as well," Godric offered immediately. "Some of them might want something hearty instead."

"Thank you. That would be great," Liv agreed happily before she turned back to Eric's original question. "I guess I could come by afterwards if you need me to. But why?"

"You'll see," Eric just replied vaguely. "Shall we say nine o'clock? Perfect. Well, then you better get ready. And do let me know if you two want to use my office." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively before speeding out of the kitchen and leaving them to their own devices.

"I wonder how long he's been waiting to use that line," Liv commented softly to Godric, smiling when he pulled her into his arms and breathed a kiss against her cheek.

"About three weeks," Godric answered, his eyes crinkling up in amusement. "But he's been saving a lot of his jokes because he didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable or self-conscious. He wants us to be happy."

"I know." Liv smiled, resting her head against Godric's chest and closing her eyes. "I am."

"So am I, cridiíon imon, so am I."


	3. Troldtog

**3\. Troldtog – Lyric Suite, Op. 54, No. 3 – Edward Grieg**

"I promise this is safe. Nothing will happen to you or Kylie," Liv assured the scared woman next to her, giving her six-year-old daughter an encouraging smile and waiting for them to slip through the door.

She felt a deep sense of relief when they were all inside, surrounded by the familiar sounds, smells and sights of Fangtasia. She could see, though, that it had the opposite effect on Becca, who looked ready to grab her daughter and bolt. Liv caught the other woman's frightened gaze and waited for her to take a few deep breaths before she led them the short way to Eric's office, knocking lightly on the door.

"My door is always open for you, Liv," Eric said from behind her, a smirk in his voice, though when she turned around she could see that he was studying her two companions with concerned interest.

"This is Becca and her daughter Kylie," she said softly. "I know you're busy, but do you think you could spare a few moments for us? Please?"

In response, Eric reached around her to push the door open, waving them inside. Liv was glad to see that he had toned down his amusement and had assumed a calm, non-threatening demeanor. She still wished Godric was here because being reassuring just didn't come as naturally to Eric.

"Godric is running an errand for me, but he should be back in a few minutes if you want to wait," Eric offered softly, handing Liv two bottles from the mini-fridge he kept in his office and nodding towards their two guests, both of whom seemed to be trying to disappear into the sofa cushions.

"I think this is something we have to discuss with you, as sheriff," Liv replied even quieter, then turned around to crouch down in front of the two humans to offer the apple juice to Kylie and the sports drink to Becca. From this close and in the harsher lighting of Eric's office, the bruise on Becca's face and her tear-red eyes were even more apparent. "Do you want to explain?"

Becca shook her head, throwing Eric a fearful glance and pulling Kylie tighter against her side.

"Okay. You don't have to," Liv murmured soothingly.

She turned around to Eric, keeping her voice soft and low as she started to explain the situation to him, "Becca is in a bad situation at home and she came to the clinic for help. Normally we would contact one of the organizations we work with or call the police, but in this case they might not be able to protect her because…"

"It's a vampire," Eric concluded for her, acknowledging her nod with a light exhalation. "Name?"

"Richard," Becca whispered, speaking up for the first time, her hands twisting together in her lap. "I don't know his last name."

"Does he have dark hair, a stocky build and a scar above his right eyebrow?" Eric asked gently.

Becca gave a jerky nod that turned into a wild flail when there was a soft knock on the door. Godric slipped into the office a moment later, sending Becca an apologetic smile as he waited for a tiny, elderly woman in blue, flowery scrubs to follow him into the room.

"Please, there is no need for alarm, Miss," Godric murmured, carefully moving around the two humans on the couch and lightly caressing Liv's arm before he positioned himself next to Eric. "No one will do you or your daughter harm here. And if you allow it, we would all like to help you and make you feel safe again."

Eric nodded in agreement, giving Becca an encouraging smile, and whether it was due to Godric's calming aura or Eric's mellowed charm, Becca seemed to relax a little. She absently ran her hand through Kylie's wild brown hair as they both watched the tiny woman's off-gaited, yet purposeful approach.

"What have you done now?" the woman demanded angrily, throwing Eric a glare as she set down her heavy doctor's bag and then straightened as much as her hunched back would allow.

Her stance softened only marginally as she turned towards Becca, assessing her with a practiced, critical gaze. "Let me see your wrists."

"I already dressed her wounds," Liv interjected, moving a little closer so that she would be able to intervene before this strange woman decided to undo her bandages and irritate Becca's injuries.

"Diagnosis?" the small woman demanded shortly, releasing Becca's wrists and turning her attention to Liv.

"I think you should first tell me who you are, ma'am," Liv argued, lightly resting her gloved hand on Becca's shoulder and rubbing it in small, soothing circles. The woman's diminutive height didn't exactly lend itself to being threatening and Becca seemed to be holding up okay for the moment, but Liv still didn't want her to feel harassed or cornered.

"I'm Dr. Ludwig," the apparent doctor replied with an impatient hand-wave and something like a hint of approval in her watery blue eyes, handing Becca a small, white business card. "Do keep up. I charge extra for wasting my time."

"It's okay, Liv," Becca murmured weakly, barely glancing at the card before she passed it on to Liv. "Just tell her what she wants to know."

Liv scrutinized the card for a moment longer, though really the only information on it was the name "Patricia Ludwig, MD" above a telephone number and a local address in clear silver font. She turned back to Dr. Ludwig, still a bit surprised that for once she had to tilt her head downward to meet the other woman's penetrating stare. "Second-degree friction burns, minor bruising on the face and torso and severe anemia."

"You've cleaned and disinfected her wrists before you put the bandages on?" Dr. Ludwig demanded further, peering at her through her thick rectangular glasses.

"Of course."

"Antibiotics?" Dr. Ludwig asked next.

Liv shook her head. "No. Becca knows what symptoms to look out for in case of an infection, but as it is her injuries should heal well."

"And the anemia?" Dr. Ludwig wanted to know, still studying her with laser-sharp eyes that were starting to become a little disconcerting.

"Intravenous administration of isotonic fluids," Liv stated. "And she needs rest and to know that she's safe, which is why I was hoping for Eric's help."

"Good," Doctor Ludwig declared with a satisfied nod, reached for her bag and turned towards the door. "I will see you on Monday, 8 o'clock – in the morning, mind you! I don't set my business hours by the dead. And don't be late."

"Excuse me, but late for what?" Liv asked, patting Becca's shoulder one last time before she drew back.

"Did you expect me to hire you based on a vampire's recommendation?" Dr. Ludwig retorted with a derisive snort, sending Eric another glare as if she expected him to shrink down to her size. "I have questions for you. So if you want the job you better bring answers – and your references."

Liv still felt that she was missing some key bits of information, but Dr. Ludwig didn't give her a chance to reply, hobbling towards the door and banging it shut behind her with surprising force. Becca winced at the sudden, loud noise and Liv decided that she had more pressing matters to attend to. She threw Eric a quick look, hoping to communicate that they would discuss this confusing byplay later, and then turned her focus back on Becca.

The two vampires seemed to catch on immediately and Godric softly cleared his throat. "Would you feel comfortable with answering a few of our questions, Miss?"

He sighed a moment later, and even Liv could see Becca tense up, her breaths coming in panicked gasps as her hands shook.

"Mom?" Kylie whispered worriedly, timidly patting her hand. "Mom? What's wrong? Do we have to run again?"

Liv's heart clenched at that question, helpless anger and sheer devastation rising in her throat at the thought of what their lives must have been like these last few weeks for Kylie to go there. She kneeled down in front of the small six-year-old, keeping a modest but still safe distance between them, and did her best to sound calm and reassuring.

"This is all pretty scary, huh?" Kylie looked at her with wide brown eyes and nodded jerkily. "It's scary for your mom, too, you know? But I think I know how you can make her feel better. I need you to give her a really tight hug - can you do that for me?" She smiled encouragingly when Kylie nodded with a little more confidence. A moment later, Kylie slipped her thin arms around Becca's waist, who reacted immediately by pulling her in against her side and wrapping her in a tight embrace. "Good, that's very good. Just keep holding her and I'm going to talk to my friends for a moment so that we can figure out how to keep you and your mom safe, okay?"

She got to her feet again and quickly closed the distance to where Godric and Eric were still waiting, knowing that they could read the plea in her eyes by the way Godric gently took her hand and Eric straightened almost imperceptibly.

"You said you needed more information?" she asked quietly.

"How long has this been going on?" Eric asked.

"About five weeks, I think. She used to work at a gas station and he would come in and buy Tru Blood and try to chat her up. She says he was always polite and respectful, as far as she can remember. Then one night her car wouldn't start and he offered to drive her home."

"She invited him inside?" Godric asked, lightly squeezing her fingers.

"She says she doesn't remember it, just as she doesn't remember how she got her injuries or why she was fired from her job," she answered, throwing a cautious look at Becca and Kylie, who were still huddled together. "I think he's been glamouring her, erasing any memories of him being an abusive jerk.

"But she still remembers some of it, enough to be afraid. She tried to get away several times, but he always caught up to them and dragged her back. She tried to seek help from the police and other hospitals, but…"

"Does he sleep at her house?" Godric questioned, his cool body pressing reassuringly against her side.

Liv shook her head. "She says he always shows up shortly after sundown. She tried changing the locks, but of course that didn't stop him."

"Has he claimed her?" Eric wanted to know, continuing in an even softer tone when he saw her hesitation. "We need to know, Liv."

Liv sighed, then gave a small, reluctant nod.

"That complicates things," Eric admitted, almost absently reaching out to squeeze Liv's shoulder.

"Please," Liv whispered, hoping that Becca and Kylie had not heard Eric's last words. "He's been hurting her for weeks and just because he can it doesn't mean he has any right."

"We know that, Liv," Godric murmured.

"Unfortunately this isn't the first report about Dick's misconduct around women," Eric added with a frown. "That's why Sophie-Anne sent him to my area. She was hoping I could stop him from returning to his old ways, but I must say I'm getting rather tired of this task. It might be time for a more permanent solution."

He stared at Godric as he said it, a whole, wordless conversation unfolding between them over the next few minutes. Liv still wasn't quite sure how that worked and Godric's attempt at an explanation, which had started reasonably enough with Morse code, had quickly derailed into a comparison to pantomime where Godric was moving Eric's hands and had not helped to clear things up for her.

Since she didn't know how long their non-verbal discussion would take, she went to check on Becca and Kylie instead. She smiled slightly when she found the little girl fast asleep in her mother's lap and Becca looking at least a little calmer.

"Are you sure they will help?" Becca whispered as soon as Liv had sat down, throwing a worried glance at the two vampires. "Maybe we should have run instead."

"I am sure," Liv answered without hesitation. "And I understand that you find it hard to trust vampires right now and you have every right to be wary. But this isn't something we can handle on our own."

"But they're not handling anything!" Becca argued, still in a whisper, carding a trembling hand through her daughter's hair. "If he finds us… I can't go back to… to…"

She broke off as tears sprung to her eyes. Liv bit her own lip, resisting the urge of offering Becca a hug and instead offered her a handkerchief. "That won't happen. I promise we will keep you and your daughter safe. I promise, okay? Let me just check in with Eric and Godric so that we can get you to a safe place for tonight."

She waited for Becca's hesitant nod and then went back over to the two vampires, slipping back into her previous spot.

"No," Godric protested, staring up at Eric even as he put an arm around Liv's waist.

Eric sighed and they exchanged another series of speaking looks that ended when Eric turned to her.

"How would you feel about being bait?"

"I think I need you to be a bit more specific," Liv answered cautiously, noting the unhappy look on Godric's face.

"You know that vampire law doesn't include provisions for the safety of humans, and since he has claimed her, we have no legitimate reason to intervene on her behalf," Eric explained quietly. "But if he were to approach you…"

"I could intervene," Godric finished. "I would be perfectly within my rights to defend you in whatever way I saw fit."

"And with that you mean…"

"He was here when Eric introduced us and he heard my warning," Godric confirmed gently. "I was not speaking in hyperbole, Liv."

"Or I could warn him away from your friend and probably scare him straight for a while - but it probably won't last. And the next woman might not be lucky enough to wander into your clinic," Eric added, not unkindly.

Liv took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling both Godric and Eric rest a hand on her shoulders in support. It didn't help, not really, but she was still grateful to them. She opened her eyes again and glanced over at Becca's huddled form, the small six-year-old cradled in her lap, and tried to take resolve from that. "What do you need me to do and what about Becca?"

"I will take her and her daughter to a hotel for the night. With any luck, we should be able to settle this before sunrise so that she can return to her own home tomorrow," Eric offered, getting out his phone to make a reservation.

"Could you ask Pam to accompany you?" Liv asked carefully. "I know she is… well, Pam, but I still think Becca would feel better if there was another woman with you."

Eric nodded and exchanged another look with Godric.

"Did he give her his blood?"

"No, she doesn't think so," Liv answered, which seemed to align with their impression. "And I went through the drive-thru at KFC so that he wouldn't be able to follow us – or at least not as easily."

Godric smiled approvingly at her, though there was still a somber look in his eyes. Or maybe that was just Liv projecting her own worries onto him.

v---v

Liv had been sitting on Becca's stoop for less than twenty minutes when the flimsy light of the single entrance lamp was suddenly obscured by a looming shadow of a man - a vampire, with muddy brown hair, heavy brows and a stocky figure.

"Well hello there. What's a pretty thing like you doing sitting out here all alone?" he greeted her, his jowly face stretching into a welcoming smile. He was about what Liv had expected from Eric's description and although there was not much of a physical resemblance, something in his deep set eyes still reminded her of Stan and more strikingly of Claudius, Godric's maker. It did not help her nerves.

"I'm waiting for a friend," Liv replied, getting to her feet and taking a step back. Richard moved closer again. "Becca? Maybe you know her?"

The name threw him for a second, Liv was almost certain, though he refitted his smile a moment later. "Oh, yes, Becca. Sweet girl. Just like you."

He slinked even closer, all but crowding her against the door and very obviously inhaling her scent. "My name's Richard, by the way. And you are?"

"I think we've met before. I'm Godric's," Liv replied, partly because she still didn't like the idea of tricking someone – even someone as despicable as Richard – into signing their own death warrant and mostly because she was by now so uncomfortable that she just wanted to leave. "I should go. Would you let me through, please?"

"Oh, I remember," Richard declared with a smile like a hyena, shifting into her path when she tried to slip past him. "You shouldn't waste your time on a man-child like that. You deserve to be with a real man. Come inside with me, doll. We'll have a good time."

He was staring intensely into her eyes as he said it, his own eyes dark and promising, his voice smooth and hypnotic, like a caress. Liv swallowed against the sudden urge to gag and pressed her back against the door, the door knob digging almost reassuringly into her side. She slid her hand into the pocket of her jacket for the silver spray Eric had pressed on her.

"You know you want to," Richard continued, his fangs peaking over his bottom lip. "Oh, but you're asking for it, aren't you? I can hear your heart pounding in excitement, all that delicious blood just waiting to be tapped. I'm going to enjoy breaking you in."

"Godric," Liv whispered with her last breath, her heart slamming in her throat as Richard pressed even closer and just grinned wider.

"Forget about him. He'll never know that I took you out for a test drive – and neither will you."

His hand landed heavily on her neck, his eyes still glimmering with faux charm, another threatening promise on his lips. Her scream ripped from her throat, drowned out everything else just as her vision overlaid reality. She still noticed when he was torn away from her, maybe just a second later, but then her world turned to blood and darkness, the ripping, tearing, shredding of a horror movie, more sound than sight.

After it was over she slid bonelessly to the ground, pulled her knees up to her chest and just tried to blend everything out while she focused on her breathing. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Repeat. Repeat.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there when Godric softly called her name and very carefully touched her knee. It took her a while before she managed to open her eyes and turn her head enough to find Godric kneeling at her side. He would have looked merely young and worried if it hadn't been for the red splatters on his skin and clothes. Liv didn't need to ask whose blood it was.

Godric had killed Richard, probably torn him apart in mid-air from what she had seen in her visions; and she knew that this was exactly what she had signed up for, that it wasn't even a slight variation of the plan they had laid out for her. But it still felt like a punch to the gut, a deafening clamor from her guilty conscience that didn't care one wit about vampire law or Godric's protective intentions or even that Richard had proven to be exactly as vile and odious as she had been told to expect.

It would have been easier, somehow, if looking at Godric's blood-soaked appearance had made her fear for her own safety, if it could have been as straight-forward and logical as that. But that wasn't it. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that Godric would never lay a harmful finger on her, would in fact do everything in his power to keep her happy and safe. And yet. She was so used to thinking of Godric as her gentle giant, larger than life in everything but his actual stature, that she didn't know how to handle this side of him, the joyful savagery and atavistic bloodlust with which he had ripped Richard to shreds. Perhaps she had been naïve in thinking that she could just ignore the flashes of violence she had seen in her visions, the crimes and atrocities Godric had confessed to, that she could relegate them to his past and separate them neatly from her sweet and perfect gentleman.

"Liv," he said her name again, and she could read the fear in his eyes, fear that she wouldn't be able to accept this, that she would turn away now that she had seen his vampiric side.

It gave her the push to unfold from her cramped position, swallow her nerves and gently rest her hand on his cheek. "I still love you, fangs and all."

Godric leaned into her touch immediately and scooted a little closer. "I would ask if you're okay, but I know you're not. What can I do to make this better?"

"I don't know," Liv admitted in a whisper, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry. I know you're a vampire, but maybe I never quite thought that through to the end."

"It's okay not to be okay with this, Liv," Godric assured her gently. "I've always admired your clear sense of right and wrong – and you don't have to shield me from your opinions."

"But my sense of right and wrong doesn't apply in your world, does it?" Liv asked, feeling Godric softly shake his head against hers.

"I'd still like to hear your thoughts, Liv, especially if there's something troubling you."

Liv curled up more firmly into Godric's careful embrace, whispering her confession against his chest, "I hate that you killed someone. And I hate even more that it was my decision. That I used you like that. That he's dead because I made that choice."

"He's dead because he made a career of abusing women and because he tried to hurt you," Godric corrected her gently. "His death is only the last consequence of the many bad choices **he** made."

"And is that justice?" Liv asked in a pained whisper.

"In my world? Yes," Godric admitted after a moment of hesitation, pressing a careful kiss into her hair. "He should never have dared to approach you in such a manner, Liv. Never. There're very few iron-clad rules in our society, but this is one of them. And for good reason. There was much strife and bloodshed before it was agreed upon."

He sighed before he continued in an even softer tone of voice, "It takes a certain temperament to survive as a vampire, something like ruthlessness for lack of a better word, and I think most of us have learned not to give too much thought to guilt and remorse. Those are dangerous emotions when you've lived an eternity in darkness and shadows."

Liv opened her eyes again, reaching out to rub her thumb over Godric's cheekbone. "Like they had been for you when we first met."

Godric nodded, smiling carefully at her. "You and Eric helped me to find my way back, both in your own way. I still have many regrets, but I no longer hate myself for things I can't change. And I cannot regret this; I cannot regret protecting you or your friend."

Liv sighed quietly, finding that her heart was beating a little easier in her chest. "Promise me this won't be the solution to all of our problems."

"I promise, Liv," Godric vowed immediately.

"Then will you take me home and hold me for a while?" Liv asked.

"I can do that. Let me just…" Godric blurred into motion and a swiveling, disorienting second later he was back with her – sans his sweater and most of the blood. "Are you ready to go home, cridiíon imon?"

She nodded and he gathered her to his chest, carefully making sure that any and all physical contact was completely up to her. And in the end, Liv decided, those were the things that mattered. Not that his idea of justice was rather different than hers or that a part of Godric thirsted for blood and enjoyed some sporadic outbursts of violence, but that he chose to keep that side of his personality well in check, instead treating her and others with thoughtfulness and respect, compassion and gentleness. He was still her gentle giant, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Puh, this chapter gave me a lot of trouble, but I think I'm happy with the way it turned out. I hope that goes for you as well..._
> 
> _This chapter also concludes the "Halloween" timestamp and since the next few chapters will be set around "Christmas", I will be taking a short break from updating. I hope to see you back here at the beginning of December!_


	4. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

**4\. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - The Nutcracker – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky**

A thousand lights sparkled from the trees along the driveway, small yellow stars twinkling around the front door and framing the festive door wreath that Godric had wound from evergreens, holly and fir cones. Candles had been placed on the window sills and in the living room a Christmas pyramid with filigree wood figurines had found its new location on a dresser next to the huge fir tree that Godric and Eric had somehow maneuvered inside. It had already been decked out with real wax candles but they had decided to wait with the rest of the decorations till Christmas Eve.

Liv loved coming home to all of it, but especially to the heavenly smell of cinnamon, ginger bread, oranges and candied almonds - like a warm, fragrant hug that engulfed her as soon as she stepped into the house. She shrugged out of her coat, scarf and gloves and toed of her boots, placing them all neatly aside before she followed the delicious scents of Christmas dinner.

She startled only slightly, more amused than anything, when Godric suddenly appeared before her, catching her around the waist and stopping her in the doorway to the kitchen.

"I believe I'm owed a kiss, cridiíon imon," he greeted her with a mirthful smile, pointedly glancing at the branch of mistletoe that dangled over their heads. The two vampires had equipped most every doorway in their house with a twig of the parasitic plant and had made a game of intercepting her and demanding a kiss whenever she tried to pass beneath.

"Are you harassing my niece again?" Iris asked, poking her head around the corner and grinning at both of them. "Well, hurry up you two. Beth says the duck needs basting again – whatever that means."

She disappeared back into the kitchen without waiting for a reply and Liv quickly slung her arms around Godric's neck to keep him from following just yet. "She's joking, love. And I think the duck can wait a few more minutes so come here and let me kiss you."

Godric smiled at her, obediently stepping close again and tilting his head so that she could claim his lips in a kiss. Liv gave a happy little moan when Godric deepened their kiss after her first initial contact, tenderly caressing along her sides and pulling her against his body.

"Welcome home," he murmured, his warm brown eyes full of love and affection. "How was work?

"It was great," Liv declared with a smile, allowing Godric to lead her into the kitchen where Beth was keeping an eye on the many pots and pans while Iris was enjoying a cup of hot chocolate; a moment later she had her own cup of chocolate, cinnamon sprinkled on top of a cloud of frothy milk. "One of Patricia's nieces went into labor and she allowed me to assist with the delivery so that I could gain some hands-on experience. It was amazing – a real-life Christmas miracle. The whole clan was there and they cheered her on and fed her wine and ale – alcohol helps them to keep their energy levels up, apparently – and the baby is just the cutest little thing. Here, they even let me to hold her for a moment."

She took out her phone and quickly found the photo she was looking for. It was a little blurry and underexposed as they had been underground, but Iris and Beth still ooohhed and aaahhed approvingly when they saw the tiny baby girl swaddled in her arms.

Godric also appeared behind her, peering over her shoulder. "Did you stay for the burial?"

"The what now?" Iris demanded.

"I thought you said that everything went well?" Beth also asked, both her aunts looking alarmed and worried.

"Dwarf babies sleep in little holes in the ground and the parents cover them with loose earth and sometimes roots, leaves or even small stones," Liv explained, quickly swiping through the next few pictures to reassure her aunts with a photo of little Alinda sleeping peacefully in a small hollow with only her wrinkly face peeking out from under the rubble. "She fell asleep right away and Patricia said that she'd probably slumber for the next few days. She made the cutest little snuffling noises, too."

"Don't worry. Give it a few more days and she'll be snoring just as loudly as the rest of her family," Eric interjected with a grin, appearing suddenly in the kitchen.

"Comments like that are the reason Patricia doesn't like you," Liv replied with a fond eye roll.

"And I'm truly heartbroken about that," Eric snarked back before changing the subject, "I thought you ladies wanted to help me trim the tree?"

"Of course," Beth agreed immediately, but then paused to address Godric. "If you're sure that you wouldn't like some help in the kitchen?"

"Or some company," Liv added with a soft smile, leaning comfortably back into Godric's firm chest.

"I would love some company," Godric murmured, blowing a sweet kiss against her cheek. "Though dinner will take about two more hours so you have time to partake in decorating first."

"And to take a shower," Eric added, demonstratively wrinkling his nose. "What is that smell?"

"I think it might be ogre snot?" Liv offered, pointing at the dark smear on her left jean leg. "I'm really sorry. I completely forgot about it."

"You met an ogre, too?" Iris asked, stirring her hot chocolate with a sugar cane. "Gosh, your work life has really taken a turn for the interesting, hasn't it?"

Liv laughed, shaking her head. "To be fair, he's only half-ogre, though with a full-blown cold. I'd better wash up."

"I put your sweater on your bed," Beth said, absently smoothing her hands over the huge bow that completed the gift design of her own sweater.

"Thanks." Liv grinned, taking note of the neon pink and lavender atrocity Iris was wearing, the cartoon reindeer on Godric's front and the cutesy arctic scenery that Eric had been gifted with. It seemed to her that Beth had gone easy on the two vampires – they still looked very handsome, if a little more colorful than usual.

v-v

She ended up helping her aunts and Eric with decorating the tree for half an hour or so, always finding some new trinket to admire in the many boxes Eric had carried down from the attic. There were baubles in different colors and shapes, some with delicate pictures painted on the sides, some fitted in lace, wooden toys and ornaments, garlands with small dangling hangers, sparkly stars and snowflakes and countless other unique pieces.

Iris had put on some classical Christmas music and as Liv wandered into the kitchen to check in on Godric she hummed along to the soft, well-familiar melodies. Godric greeted her with a smile, stopping her in the doorway underneath yet another sprig of mistletoe to claim a kiss, and then invited her into his little kingdom where the dinner preparations seemed to be progressing very nicely. Liv switched off a few of the plates that were no longer in use and adjusted the oven temperature on Godric's request before she started to set the table while Godric put the finishing touches on the different dishes.

When everything was ready, they all settled around the abundantly laid table, the two vampires nipping sporadically on their glasses of Tru Blood while the three women enjoyed the rich and plentiful food. Between gushing about Godric's culinary skills and the amusing anecdotes from Christmases past, they also talked about what was new in their lives and in particular about Liv's new job for Dr. Patricia Ludwig, who was the physician on call for the entire supernatural community in Louisiana and the neighboring states.

The initial interview, after their first impromptu meeting at Fangtasia, had been grueling, more so because Patricia had a number of reservations when it came to hiring someone on the recommendation of a vampire than because of Liv's actual qualifications or her limitations regarding skin contact. The doctor had accepted those in stride, and had finally decided, still a little grudgingly, that Liv might just make a passable assistant – with the right training and under her tutelage of course. She had given Liv a small library of books on mystical beings and magical creatures, most of which Liv had assumed were purely fictional, and after a grace period of a mere few days had started quizzing Liv during their car rides. It had been exhausting, challenging - and endlessly fascinating. She'd met dwarfs, ogres, werewolves, shifters, fairies, nymphs, fauns, sprites, goblins, succubi and mermaids as well as a number of other patients who had not been so forthcoming in revealing their nature. She still had a lot to learn, of course, but between her medical training, Patricia's gruff instructions and the information she gleaned from books, talking to her patients or asking Godric, she was starting to feel sure of herself again - and as if she had finally found her place.

v---v

Pam showed up after dinner and after they had cleared away the rest of the food, bringing with her a gust of cold wind as she swept through in through the terrace door. They all gathered in the living room around their beautifully decorated Christmas tree. It even sported some of the hand-crafted, slightly wonky ornaments from Liv's childhood and the delicate porcelain bells that had been a gift from Iris' parents. Iris got out her violin and struck up one of her favorite Christmas carols, Liv and Beth easily joining in with their voices. After a short moment of hesitation, Godric also started to sing and a moment later Eric started to accompany them on the grand piano.

Pam crossed her arms and looked unimpressed and slightly bored, her mood only brightening when it was time to exchange gifts. Liv watched in amusement as the female vampire happily shredded the fancy wrapping paper of Eric's gift to her, revealing a beautiful lace cocktail dress in a soft, powdery pink with a figure-hugging silhouette and a separate wrap to go over the strapless, sweetheart neckline. Godric had gotten her a pair of new high-heels and Liv had decided on a gift card for a manicure, as well as bottle of matching nail polish from Pam's favorite brand.

All in all, Pam appeared satisfied with her haul and started to hand out her own clothing-based gifts. She had even brought something for Beth and Iris – matching cashmere scarves – which prompted Beth to reveal yet another Christmas sweater, this one in bright pink with a green trim and smaller Christmas motives scattered across the front, though she was wise enough not to expect a thank you nor to try and force Pam to wear it. Eric quickly distracted his progeny by handing her yet another present – a book that immediately captivated her attention.

While the two vampires were kept busy with that present, Beth got the three gifts for the hard nucleus of their family from under the tree. The presents were only half a surprise since they had decided long ago that the most valuable gift they could give each other was time spent together. So they had made it their Christmas tradition to exchange weekly planers for the new year where each of them would pencil in an event or activity that they would go on together. This year, Beth had signed them up for a guided hiking tour in the Louisiana State Arboretum; Iris had found a pottery class in New Orleans that she wanted to combine with at least a quick peak at the Mardi Gras celebrations, and Liv had finally bought tickets for a musical that Iris had always wanted to see.

"And of course, Godric, you're invited to," Iris declared after the initial round of excited thank you's and curious questions.

Beth nodded eagerly. "I checked with the tour guide and though the hiking will obviously take place during the day, you're welcome to join us after nightfall - you can share a tent with Liv."

"No funny business, though," Iris interjected, grinning at him.

"Is hiking a very serious matter?" Godric asked carefully. "It used to be in my time, of course, but I had assumed that it had taken on a more recreational quality as of late…"

"I believe Iris was referring to other recreational activities," Eric offered with a smirk. "And Liv's blush should tell you the rest."

Godric turned to her, his lips softening into a smile as his eyes began to sparkle. "I see. In that case, I believe I shall leave the terms of our business up to you, cridiíon imon."

Liv shook her head with a smile. "That sounded a bit wrong, but I appreciate the sentiment."

"And I appreciate that you thought to include me in your activities," Godric replied, turning to her aunts again. "But I wouldn't wish to intrude."

"These are family activities and you're part of this family," Beth answered gently. "We would like you to come."

"Then I'd be honored. Thank you," Godric answered, hugging Liv tight for a moment before he quickly slipped away to gather two slim gifts from under the tree and handed them to her aunts. "These are from both Eric and myself. Merry Christmas, Iris, Beth."

"Thank you, to both of you," Beth said, while Iris was already fiddling at the sticky tape to loosen the edges of the wrapping paper. "Thank you for having us."

Before Godric could continue their polite to-and-fro, Iris peeled away the last of the wrapping paper and gave a loud gasp. "Is this…? This is a reproduction, right? It's not an actual sketch by Antonio freaking Stradivari for The Messiah."

"We met him during our time in Italy," Eric explained nonchalantly. "He had already made a name for himself as one of the best luthiers of his time so we decided to borrow a few of his materials to preserve them for posterity."

"It's unfortunately not the final design, but we hope you'll still like it," Godric said with a softly questioning undertone. "I know it's not a very practical gift…"

"Are you kidding me? It's perfect!" Iris exclaimed, carefully putting the drawing aside before she jumped up to throw her arms around a surprised Godric. "And I thought it couldn't get better than dinner. Thank you! Thank you, Eric."

"You're very welcome," Godric murmured, lightly patting her back and leading her back to her armchair before he returned to Liv's side, happily accepting her gentle kiss of gratitude.

"I'm a little afraid to open my own present now," Beth joked with an amused look at her still awestruck fiancé. "I don't know if I ever saw her this happy – not even when I proposed to her."

"Oh, hush, you," Iris protested, finally looking up. "You know that's not true. Just open it and let me see!"

Beth laughed good-naturedly and began to unfold the wrapping paper with due care. What emerged was another slightly yellowed piece of paper with bold black-lettering and a stylized map of the United States. It read "Votes for women a success – imitation is the sincerest flattery" and listed the years in which different states had adopted women's suffrage.

"I had originally collected some memorabilia for Pam, but she has since informed me that she has no desire to be reminded of that time and that if she should ever change her mind, she would be perfectly capable of procuring her own souvenirs," Eric explained, inclining his head sardonically towards Pam, who just rolled her eyes.

Godric softly cleared his throat. "Liv has told us how much both of you inspired her throughout her life and encouraged her to become the incredible woman she is today. So we hope that these small offerings might inspire you in turn."

"I'm sure they will. Thank you, again," Beth declared, beaming at all of them before showing one of the postcards that had also been included in her gift to Iris. "I love this one, it's so heartfelt. I think I'll hang it in my office to cheer me up on difficult days."

Liv reluctantly disengaged from Godric's embrace, pressing another kiss to his temple as she got up, then lightly patting Eric's shoulder as she passed behind him to join her aunts in admiring their gifts. A while later she felt Godric gently feathering his hand across her back.

"I will get you some more hot chocolate," he murmured when he had her attention. "Or would you prefer some mulled wine or eggnog?"

"I think I'd like to try the mulled wine," Liv replied softly, caressing her fingers along Godric's.

"Me too," Iris declared, her head by now pillowed on Beth's shoulder.

"Then I shall have some eggnog. I think I'm the only one here who likes it, anyway," Beth added, gently fluffing Iris' short hair with her fingers.

Godric hummed in agreement and a second later he had disappeared from her side and she could hear a few clangs and bangs from the kitchen. She exchanged a quick look with Eric, who nodded discreetly towards the kitchen, which prompted her to wander after Godric and see if he needed any help.

Instead she found the doorway blocked by both Godric and Eric, who had clearly violated several laws of physics to get there first. She shook her head and laughed. "Caught in your own trap."

She arched her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked expectantly at them, not even bothering to bite back her grin. "I've been reliably informed that the price for being caught underneath the mistletoe is one kiss, to be paid in full."

Godric chuckled and turned towards Eric, some indecipherable message passing between them. She wasn't quite sure what she had expected, maybe a light fleeting peck, like the ones she placed on Eric's cheeks, or something too fast for human eyes to track. Instead that magnetic force, the gravitational pull they had on each other seemed to grow even stronger, wiping out the last few negligible inches between them as Godric's feet left the floor to put him on one height with Eric. Godric tenderly bracketed the taller vampire's face between his hands and Eric did likewise as they sealed their lips for a kiss that started out sweet and innocent before it turned into something that drove a flush to her cheeks as heat tingled through her body.

They broke apart eventually, though Liv had quite thoroughly lost track of time. Eric turned to her with a smug smirk and Godric also seemed quietly satisfied with her reaction. "A little more than you bargained for, Liv? Would you like to give it a try – now that you've seen how it's done?"

"I would indeed," Liv answered, taking a step closer and poking at Eric's middle. "With Godric. Off you go."

"Harsh," Eric commented with obvious amusement. "Especially given that this custom was initiated by the mother goddess Frigg who decreed that mistletoe would forever be a symbol of peace and happiness after it had been the instrument of her beloved son's death. You really could be a little more respectful of my beliefs, Liv."

"Oh, come down here already." Liv laughed, pressing a light kiss to Eric's cheek when he obediently inclined his head for her. "Happy now?"

"Oh, little dove, you still have much to learn," Eric replied with another smirk before disappearing as suddenly as he had appeared.

"For us mistletoe was a symbol of male virility," Godric offered, gently nosing along the blush of her cheeks and inhaling deeply against her neck, his voice a low, intimate murmur against her ear, which sent another frisson of pleasure down her spine.

"And did you kiss underneath it?" Liv asked in a whisper, leaning closer and feeling Godric's hands caress lightly over her sides.

"We did other things," Godric whispered and it sounded like a promise as he claimed her lips in a sensual, toe-curling kiss before he whirled away to get their drinks.

Liv gaped after him, briefly entertaining the thought of calling him back and demanding that he finish what he had started. Then she remembered her aunts, Eric and Pam in the next room over and reconsidered, sighed regretfully and followed Godric into the kitchen.

"Maybe I should also make some coffee for your aunts? I think they're about to fall asleep," Godric offered, looking up to smile understandingly at her before he went back to filling the mulled wine into two glasses.

"It's rather late for them," Liv admitted, noting the blinking red numbers on the microwave. It was past three already and though her aunts had taken an afternoon nap it still was long past their usual bedtime. "Maybe they'd like some of those coffee cookies you made – Beth doesn't like to drink coffee so late and Iris is pretty much immune to its effects by now."

Godric nodded readily, getting down one of the cookie tins and starting to arrange some of the tasty treats on a plate.

"Thank you for being so wonderful," Liv murmured softly, brushing her lips lightly against Godric's cheek and then taking the eggnog and one of the glasses of mulled wine to bring them over to her aunts. They looked indeed a bit sleepily, though they insisted that they were fine when Liv asked.

Eric had reclaimed his seat at the piano and was playing the adagio sostenuto from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata while Pam had started to paint her nails, pausing from time to time to turn to the next page in the book Eric had gifted to her. Liv went over to her, softly clearing her throat.

"What are you reading?"

"Vampire Kama Sutra," Pam replied with a devilish smirk, tilting the book slightly so that Liv could see one of the illustrations. "This one I've tried before, but there're some others I wouldn't mind having a crack at – like this one."

She flipped a few pages back to another image so contorted and humanly impossible that Liv instinctively tilted her head to try to make sense of it. Pam watched her with a smirk that only got wider when Liv jerked back slightly. "Don't worry. I wasn't thinking about asking you to be my guinea pig, though of course…"

"No thank you." Liv hastily shook her head. "But I'm glad you like your gifts."

"Most of them at least," Pam replied, kicking her toes disparagingly against the Christmas sweater that had somehow ended up on the floor.

Liv laughed. "I think Beth still saved the nicer ones for you." She plucked at her own cardigan which was decorated in a pseudo-Norwegian knitting pattern in pale mint green and murky brown, further embellished by two glittery baubles in silver and gold placed ostentatiously on her chest.

"Yes, I can see that a horrid fashion sense runs in your family," Pam declared with a wrinkle of her nose. "Someone should really take pity and tell her that – but Eric asked me to 'behave'."

She said it like a curse word, capping the small bottle of nail polish as she finished with her nails and studied her handiwork.

"Don't pout, Pam," Eric intervened, joining them in their little corner. "I'm sure you'll have a chance to misbehave quite thoroughly with the two presents I left in your apartment."

Pam perked up visibly, a frightening grin spreading over her pale face. "Violeta and Rachel? I was wondering why they didn't pick up when I called."

"I believe they're a bit tied up at the moment." Eric smirked. "Off you go then, don't leave them hanging."

"Oh, I won't – not for long at least." Pam was already gathering her things, her spirits lifted considerably with the prospect of a different kind of entertainment. "Although you do know how much I enjoy a captive audience."

"I'm sure you'll make me proud," Eric agreed, placing a light peck on Pam's lips. "Have a merry fucking Christmas, Pam."

Pam flashed him another grin and then she sped away, the front door banging shut a moment later.

"I'm surprised she stayed this long," Liv commented, merely amused that Pam hadn't bothered with a proper goodbye. "And please tell me that Violeta and Rachel agreed to whatever this is."

"They were quite eager to participate in this experiment, I assure you," Eric answered easily, making room when Godric slipped into the seat next to her and handed her a glass of mulled wine. "I even allowed them a little head start, if you know what I mean."

"Please spare me the details," Liv replied with a roll of her eyes, turning towards her aunts when Beth softly cleared her throat.

"This eggnog is perfect and I do love these cookies, but I fear neither of those things will keep us awake for much longer," Beth offered a little apologetically, nudging Iris in the side to keep her from drifting off completely.

"But we both want to see what Godric got for you before we head to bed," Iris took up, barely managing to cover her yawn. "He wouldn't tell us."

"Maybe you would like to open my present now?" Godric suggested readily, getting a small rectangular package from under the tree and offering it to Liv.

"I'd love to," Liv answered, waiting for Godric to sit back down and place an arm around her shoulders before she carefully unfolded the gift wrap to reveal a large, velvety blue jewelry box.

She carefully undid the small clasp and popped the box open on its hinges, gasping at the beautiful necklace that lay inside. She almost hesitantly reached out to lift it from its bed, feeling the fine gold chain run through her fingers like water and cradling the three small charms against her palm to admire them. The largest was a brilliant blue gemstone in a delicate hexagon frame, accompanied on either side by a shimmering white pearl and a smaller white gem.

"Do you like it?" Godric asked softly, laughing and easily catching her when she threw herself into his arms. "I gathered the stones myself, but I had a local goldsmith make this necklace for you. I wanted you to have something as unique as you are."

"It's beautiful. I love it," Liv declared, peppering Godric's face with kisses. "Thank you, love. Will you put it on me?"

Godric readily accepted the necklace from her, carefully placing it around her neck and then lifting her hair out from under the thin golden chain. Liv gently touched the small pendants that rested lightly against her sternum and smiled happily at Godric again.

"Oh, it looks perfect on you," Beth exclaimed, both her aunts having scooted a little closer to get a better look. "It's wonderful, Godric. What stones are these?"

"The blue one is a benitoite from California – I chose it because it matches the color of Liv's eyes and was as rare a find as she is," Godric explained readily, giving her a loving smile as he gently pulled her into his arms. "The other one is a small diamond which I picked up in the Rocky Mountains. I believe there is a popular reference that diamonds are forever so it seemed right to include it for a symbol of our love. I found the pearl some centuries ago and held onto it because it reminded me that sometimes a grain of imperfection can become something beautiful."

"Past, present, future," Liv said, falling even more in love with Godric and his gift when she realized how much thought he had put into it. "Thank you, love."

"I'm glad you like it," Godric replied immediately with a pleased little smile and carefully tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"It's really beautiful," Iris said, smiling at both of them. "And this has been a wonderful evening – with fantastic food – but I'm about ready to flake out so I think I'd better head to bed."

"That goes for me as well," Beth added with an apologetic smile, getting to her feet. "But thank you for this evening and for having us."

"You're very welcome," Godric said. "I'm sorry that we could not follow all of your family traditions such as opening presents in the morning and convening in your home in Dallas."

"Pshaw, those are just details as long as you make our little peanut happy," Iris said, a little gruffly, hiding another yawn against Beth's shoulder.

"Seeing her so carefree, at ease and comfortable in her own skin is the best gift you could have given us," Beth agreed softly.

"Oh, come on, don't embarrass me," Liv protested weakly despite the warm glow she could feel around her heart.

"If I wanted to embarrass you I would have brought the album with the baby pictures," Iris pointed out with a mirthful grin.

"Not that she didn't try," Beth interjected lightly. "But I thought we could save that for next year."

"I'd love to see those pictures," Eric said, grinning at Liv's unimpressed glare. "Tiny Liv when she was even tinier – what a merry concept."

"I'm not tiny, you're just unreasonably tall," Liv gave back before getting up to hug her aunts. "Thank you. Do you need anything for the night?"

"No, we're all set," Beth assured her. "Goodnight, honey. And a very merry Christmas to all of you."

There was a round of echoing sentiments before her aunts disappeared upstairs to turn in for the night. Godric took a few quick seconds to tidy up the wrapping paper and clear away the dishes while Eric added another log of wood to the fire and replaced some of the candles that had burned too low. Liv just leaned comfortably back into the cushions of the sofa, nipped on her mulled wine and then rested her eyes for a moment.


	5. Carol Symphony

**5\. Carol Symphony – Victor Hely-Hutchinson**

She felt Godric's hand land gently on her shoulder, his fingers rubbing secret circles onto her back till she opened her eyes. "Do you also wish to go to bed, cridiíon imon? We don't mind."

Liv shook her head, straightening a little and giving him a small smile. "I'm not tired, I promise."

"In that case, I believe it's time for you to open my present," Eric commented, handing her another parcel. "You'll note that it follows the same theme as our presents to your aunts – inspiration."

"Thanks," Liv replied, a little skeptical given Eric's barely hidden smirk. "I'll keep that in mind. I like the wrapping paper you used."

Eric laughed. "You don't have to butter me up, Liv. Just open it."

Liv still hesitated a moment before she carefully peeled away the sticky tape and unfolded the paper, revealing the back of a large picture frame. She turned it around slowly and took a moment to study the painted waves of red and blue that formed the backdrop for the instantly recognizable ghostly figure of a man with both his hands clutched to his face and his eyes and mouth wide with terror, in a silent scream.

She wrinkled her nose and looked up at the amused vampire. "Thanks. We can hang it in your office."

Eric grinned broadly, making a show of slowly peering over her shoulder to look at the picture. "I think it would go even better in your bedroom, maybe just above your bed…"

"Don't you dare or I'm going to do another kind of screaming," Liv threatened with a glare and a shudder, imagining having that hanging over her head, literally. Eric laughed.

"Eric, that's enough," Godric admonished softly but firmly, taking the picture from her and leaning it face-down against the wall.

"Alright," Eric agreed easily, handing her a second present a moment later with a conciliatory smile. "I think you'll like this one better."

When she opened it, she found three smaller picture frames, all of them with photos that had been taken during the last year. There was one of Godric and Liv, both of them laughing freely as Godric swirled her around, the trailing sweep of Liv's long dress just hinting at the speed of their movements. The next one showed Pam and Liv in their Halloween costumes, with Pam in a high-waisted, ankle-length gown and a matching dark-red fascinator pinned into her voluminous curls and Liv in her flowing Maleficent costume. The last picture, though, was probably her favorite – not because it commemorated any special occasion or showed something even remotely exciting, but because it was just so normal, the three of them, Eric, Godric and herself, snuggled up on the couch, with her head resting in Godric's lap and Eric's hand wrapped negligently around her ankles, comfortable and at ease in each other's company.

"If you'd like we can add them to the picture wall downstairs," Eric offered, easily folding her in his arms when she moved in for a hug.

"That would be great. I really like them, Eric. Thank you for this," Liv murmured. "And I'm not upset about the painting. I guess it's a little funny."

Eric snorted, sending her an amused look as he released her. "You really are a terrible liar. You should come to our next poker night – Pam will get a kick out of that."

Liv gave him a good-natured eye roll. "Because that's how I want to spend my hard-earned money."

"Oh, we're not playing for money," Eric replied with a smirk. "It's strip poker."

"Obviously," Liv answered dryly, smiling when Godric wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"I'd be happy to play strip poker with you," Godric murmured, blowing teasingly against her neck.

"I think it'll be more fun if we skip the poker," Liv suggested, turning around to press a gentle kiss to Godric's lips before she focused back on Eric. "Sorry, Eric. Here, this one is for you. Merry Christmas."

It was the largest parcel left, half hidden beneath the overhanging branches of the tree. She lightly kissed Eric's cheek as she passed it over. "I hope… I hope you'll like it."

The words didn't quite manage to express her feelings and she exchanged a quick look with Godric, who sent her an encouraging smile. It wasn't that she hadn't known what to get Eric, but rather that she wasn't sure how her present might be received – as a thoughtful gesture or rather as a horrible intrusion.

Eric looked questioningly at her, probably hearing her nerves in her heartbeat, but then quickly tore away the wrapping paper. He froze into stillness, staring down at the picture for so long that Liv's nervousness skyrocketed.

"How did you get this?" he finally asked, his voice almost inflectionless, and without looking up at her.

"I asked Matt to draw it – he works as a sketch artist for the police, but he also does portraits in his free time. I used my visions as reference and Godric helped by providing details about their clothes. I know it's not a perfect likeness of them, but -"

She was cut off by Eric crushing her against his chest in an almost too tight hug. He drew back just as suddenly, disappearing in a disorienting flash of speed, and leaving her standing there with her arms half-way raised and her chest still feeling slightly constricted.

"What…? Where is he? He's upset, isn't he?" she asked, turning pleadingly to Godric. "Can you go find him and tell him I'm sorry?"

"He's not upset, Liv," Godric corrected gently, pulling her into a markedly more careful embrace. "Just… overwhelmed. Let's give him some time."

"You'll keep an ear out for him, won't you?" Liv still pleaded, relaxing marginally when Godric nodded. "Thank you."

"Of course," Godric replied with a gentle smile. "Please don't worry. It's a beautiful gift and Eric truly appreciates it."

"Do you want to open yours?" Liv asked after another deep breath, making the executive decision to trust Godric's judgement.

"Let me get it," Godric asked, returning a moment later with the last two items from under the tree and waiting until they were both settled comfortably on the sofa before he addressed himself to the task at hand.

He picked up the envelope first, carefully pulled out the Christmas card and took a long moment to admire the cover before he flipped it open. He started smiling almost immediately, reading it twice or more times before he turned to her.

"I'd love to take dancing lessons with you," he declared, squeezing her fingers when she slipped her hand into his. "This is a wonderful idea. I'm glad you thought of it, cridiíon imon."

Liv beamed and excitedly told Godric about the class she had found for them, which promised to offer a variety of ballroom dances and small group courses in the evening. She then gently encouraged Godric to open the rest of his present, still a bit nervous though Pam had insisted that this was exactly what she should give Godric for Christmas and had even cited her experiences as a brothel owner to substantiate her claim.

Godric delicately undid the merry wrapping paper, lifted the cover of the box that was revealed and unfolded the tissue paper with even more care. A furrow appeared between his brows and he turned to Liv with a questioning look.

"It's empty."

"That's because I'm already wearing what was inside," Liv murmured, hoping that Godric would find the blush she could feel on her cheeks charming rather than awkward. She took the box from him so that she could slip into his lap. "If you'd like you can unwrap me next."

Godric froze into stillness for less than a second and then they were moving at lightning speed through the house. Only a moment later, he already set her down in her bedroom and gave her a timid, hopeful smile.

"I must be the luckiest man alive," he murmured. "And I would love to unwrap you, Liv. If you're not too tired?"

Liv shook her head with a smile, starting to unbutton her cardigan, but then pausing when she remembered something. "Did you put out the candles downstairs?"

"I should do that," Godric agreed regretfully. "Maybe I should have let Eric use electric candles after all…"

He blew a kiss against her lips before he disappeared, and she smiled to herself, remembering the two vampires' lengthy debate on this very topic and Godric's half-joking promise that he wouldn't burn down the house. She undid the last few buttons of her cardigan as she waited and shrugged out of the heavy material, turning to place the garment over the back of a chair.

Godric's hands landed gently on her hips and turned her around, his nimble fingers starting to roll up her soft white t-shirt even as he murmured a soft greeting. He paused halfway up, lightly resting his hands on her ribs and giving her an understanding smile. "The candles are out, your aunts are fast asleep and Eric is safe downstairs."

"Brooding?"

"Thinking - remembering," Godric clarified. "I promise he's all right and he does not long for company right now. But if you would prefer it we could go downstairs and watch a movie? Or I could read you a Christmas story?"

Liv smiled, leaning in to place a gentle kiss against Godric's lips and firmly pushing all other preoccupation to the back of her mind. "I think I'd rather take advantage of the fact that for once Eric is not listening in on us. If I haven't ruined the mood?"

"Never," Godric promised with a mirthful grin as he started to tug up her shirt again and then paused to admire her new lacy, red brassiere, gently caressing the swell of her breasts through the silky material. "I love that you picked this out with me in mind. You look particularly ravishing in it."

Liv gave a little moan, pressing closer and knotting her hands in Godric's soft hair. "Less talking, more undressing, please."

Godric laughed, but obediently slipped his hands down to her jeans, slowly working them down over her hips and letting them drop to the floor. He knelt down at her feet, encouraging her to step out of her jeans and taking off her socks as well, one at a time.

"Let me look at you for a moment," he murmured, caressing his fingers over the filigree netting of her new slip. "So beautiful. I love this color on you and the bits of lace. Just lovely. Almost as lovely as you, cridiíon imon."

"I liked the back as well," Liv offered with bolstered confidence, turning around to show off the lacy racer's back of her bra and the way the panties hugged the curve of her buttocks. Godric issued a very satisfying groan of approval and traced light fingers and even lighter kisses down between her shoulder blades and along the swell of her butt.

"May I take you to bed?"

Liv nodded, reaching for Godric's hand when he offered it to her and giggling happily as he picked her up and carried her the few steps to her bed, carefully laying her down on the downy covers. "Would you like to have my blood?"

Godric shook his head with a soft smile and instead got a large silk cloth from her nightstand drawer, spreading it out over her to create a light, transparent barrier between them. She sighed contently, not overly surprised or disappointed by this turn of events. She still relished the novelty of skin-on-skin contact and very much enjoyed what Godric euphemistically called "the joining of their bodies", but she also loved the many other facets of their lovemaking and Godric's creativity and ingenuity when it came to finding new ways to bring her pleasure. She also knew that Godric didn't like to drink her blood if she had consumed even a sip of alcohol, in part because he didn't care for the taste and, she suspected, in part because he worried about her ability to consent fully.

She stretched out on the bed and smiled in approval when Godric quickly stripped off his clothes, his skin as pale and smooth as alabaster in the low lighting of her room and the dark lines of his tattoos giving his youthful physique a mystical edge. He returned her grin as he slowly approached her again, smoothly getting into bed and rolling on top of her.

"Shh, patience," he said with a small chuckle when she bucked her hips up, easing his weight off of her. "Put your hands on the headboard for me, cridiíon imon. Perfect, now try to keep them there and let me enjoy my present."

He grinned at her, waiting for her small nod of consent before he lowered his mouth to her collarbone and started to place soft, open-mouthed kisses against her skin through the light, see-through fabric. She bit her lip to contain her moan and could almost feel Godric's triumphant smile against her skin as he continued to explore her body with his lips, paying special attention to the areas covered by her new underwear, adding an ever so light suck or nibble whenever he deemed her too quiet and well-behaved.

He stopped suddenly, his eyes gleaming with laughter even as he tried to chide her. "Liv," he said warningly. "Hands."

Liv whined wordlessly, reluctantly detangling her fingers from Godric's hair to place them back on the headboard. "Only if you kiss me."

"Gladly," Godric whispered against her lips and allowed her to close the distance for a deep, leisurely kiss before he gently pressed her back into the pillows.

He started to lavish her body with kisses again, teasing both of them almost to the edge a few times but always easing off just enough to allow her pleasure to ebb or to rein in his own urges, only to begin anew and find new ways to drive her wild.

"Godric, please," she finally begged, almost sobbing in frustration and shaking with an overload of sensations. "Please."

Godric grinned at her, flashing his fangs at her for just one second before he fastened his clever mouth back onto her right nipple, already released from the trappings of her new bra, and gave it a long, hard suck just as he slotted himself between her legs and rubbed his heavy erection against her wet panties. Liv moaned, arching her back and lifting her hips to meet his, the smooth fabric of the silk cloth moving like a caress between them, whispering along her skin and setting her nerves endings on fire.

She didn't last much longer, her orgasm washing over and through her with its usual overwhelming intensity, leaving in its wake a feeling of pleasantly floaty lethargy. Godric followed her only a few moments later, quietly, as always, but with such a stark look of rapture on his face that it rent her heart. He was careful not to bury her under his weight, but she felt his cool bathing her belly, the softly panting breaths that he puffed against her breasts. She shivered, still half in pleasure, and Godric murmured a small apology, swiftly clearing away the soiled silk cloth before he tenderly ran a damp wash cloth along the lines of her body.

Soon after, she was snuggled into the clean, warm blankets, Godric's arms wrapped securely around her. She sighed happily, leaning up for a small kiss and then closed her eyes for a few moments.

v---v

She woke to the gentle swaying of Godric carrying her downstairs, though it took her a few extra seconds to make that connection as the vampire hadn't bothered with turning on the lights.

"What time is it?" she asked muzzily, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.

"Almost dawn," Godric replied quietly. "I didn't mean to wake you, but I thought you'd like to speak with Eric before he goes to sleep."

"Thank you," Liv said, resting her head back against his shoulder. "I'm sorry I fell asleep on you."

Godric chuckled, pressing a light kiss into her hair. "You know I don't mind, cridiíon imon. I had a wonderful night."

"So did I," Liv murmured with a smile, feeling Godric move a little faster as he sped them through the three safety doors and into their bunker.

She kept her eyes closed for a bit longer, the sudden return of light prickling uncomfortably against her eyelids. Godric set her down gently, keeping his hands on her hips even as another pair of strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her in against a familiar broad chest.

"Eric?" she asked softly, lightly patting his back.

Eric hummed in acknowledgment, but just held her tighter, folding himself around her and tucking her head under his chin. Liv breathed out slowly and settled into the hug, giving Eric whatever time and comfort he needed.

Finally, Eric drew back and gave her a small honest smile. "It's perfect, Liv."

He lightly rested his hand on her shoulder, turning her around to look at the wall of pictures, which had undergone some significant changes. The new photos Eric had given to her had been added, neatly fitting into the chronological free flow of Eric's arrangement, but Eric had also rearranged some of the older pictures to create enough space for Liv's gift, the portrait sketch of his parents. It was a black-and-white drawing, simple and straight-forward, some of the lines a mere suggestion and without any unnecessary frills. It had still taken almost three weeks and Matt's angelic patience to get it done, to get it right.

"I remember…" Eric said quietly, pausing briefly before he took up again, "I remember my mother smiling just like that, the dimples in her cheeks, and the lullabies she sang to my baby sister. I remember my father wrapping his hand around mine when he first taught me how to hold a sword. You gave those memories back to me. I don't know how to thank you for that."

"Then don't," Liv replied simply, wrapping her arm around Eric's middle in a half embrace as all three of them turned to look at the picture again.

There were still a few details that didn't match the images in her mind – his mother's nose perhaps a smidgeon wider than it should have been, his father's forehead maybe a bit too high – but Godric had gently reminded her that photography was, in his words, a fairly recent invention and that Eric would not expect the same granularity from a drawing. Besides, seeing how Eric fairly lit up when Godric remarked that he had his father's eyes and hearing his soft voice when he shared some of his returning memories, she couldn't help but be happy and glad and grateful.

Eventually, Godric rested his hand on Eric's back, gently and wordlessly pulling him from his reverie and steering him towards the bed. The taller vampire went willingly, probably already starting to feel the effects of the rising sun, and Liv was only slightly surprised when he claimed the middle spot for himself, reaching behind himself to wrap Godric's arms around his waist before gathering Liv close to his chest.

He fussed a little with the woolen blanket she had wrapped around herself to keep warm and also pulled the down comforter over her before he buried his nose in her hair and breathed out slowly.

"I should have gotten you the fucking original Munch painting," Eric murmured.

Liv huffed out a small laugh before she pointed out, "I still wouldn't have liked the subject matter."

The tall vampire sighed, absently stroking her hair as he admitted, "It was rather insensitive of me. I had not realized how detailed your visions must be."

It was Liv's turn to sigh, though she tried to suppress it. She didn't want to drag down the mood, didn't want to remind Eric that the only reason she had been able to describe his parents in so much detail was because she had seen them die, over and over again. Sometimes she almost managed to convince herself that the memories of her visions faded, that she could put them in her library of death and forget about them. It was true in some cases, but not in all. She still remembered all her mother's suicide attempts in vivid detail, could call up an image of Sophie-Anne's blood splattered over Bill's living room or replay the last few moments of Eric's parents' lives. Those images hadn't faded and they probably never would.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Eric said as Godric reached over him to offer her his hand.

"It's not all bad," Liv replied with a small smile, snuggling close again and brushing her fingers against Godric's. "And the things you told me about your parents really helped me to focus on the moments before… before. I just wanted to share those with you – I wanted you to have something to remember them by."

Eric squeezed her a little tighter for a few seconds, pressing a kiss into her hair and murmuring something unintelligible to her ears before he added, "Thank you, little dove, just thank you."

"You're welcome, Eric. Goodnight, you two, and merry Christmas," Liv whispered back, smiling to herself as the two vampires echoed her words and fell asleep soon after.

She wriggled a little to loosen the tight cocoon of blankets and arms wrapped around her, taking a moment to tug down one of the pillows to better cushion Eric's rock-hard chest, and then closed her eyes to claim her own sweet rest.


	6. L'inverno

**6\. L'inverno – Le quattro stagioni – Antonio Vivaldi**

She spent most of the following day with her aunts, observing a few more of their holiday traditions such as sharing a late breakfast, watching Christmas-themed movies on TV and eating too many cookies. It was nice, a chance for them to spend some time together, to talk and laugh and relax, just the three of them like it had been before, though neither Liv nor her aunts were sad that their little family now included a few more members.

They had to say goodbye in the early afternoon, though, since Beth didn't like to drive in the dark and Iris had a rehearsal early the next morning. Liv helped them pack their baggage and gifts into the car and then hugged them long and hard, murmuring a few additional thank you's and asking them to drive safely and to call her when they had made it home.

She watched as their car disappeared down the driveway, trying to contain her apprehension about this mode of transportation and forbidding herself from thinking about everything that might happen, everything that she had seen in one vision or the other. Her fears weren't reasonable, as well she knew, but she still needed to distract herself if she didn't want to spend the next few hours quietly panicking.

So instead she decided to pack up the rest of her Christmas presents and some of Godric's cookies and other baked goods and drop them off with her friends. She stopped by Mel's apartment first, quite happy when Mel invited her inside for a cup of tea so that they could wait for her brother, who was going to pick Mel up for a big family reunion at their grandmother's house.

"So when is Matt going to be here?" Liv asked, absently bobbing her tea bag in her cup.

"You mean when was he supposed to be here? Half an hour ago," Mel replied with a roll of her eyes. "I would be annoyed, but honestly, these dinners are exhausting and if I can at least skip the tyranny of the kitchen, I'm all for it."

"Too many cooks?" Liv asked in amusement.

"Oh, definitely. And too many opinions," Mel replied, stirring sugar into her tea. "Last year, things escalated about the correct way of mashing potatoes and I'm not sure that argument was ever settled."

Liv laughed and they talked about the rest of their holiday plans until Matt arrived, offering a generic apology and then dropping into one of the kitchen chairs, clearly not any more in a hurry than his sister.

"So did Eric like the picture?" he asked after they had exchanged greetings.

"He absolutely loved it," Liv replied immediately. "You really are an incredible artist. Thank you again!"

Matt gave a half-embarrassed laugh, shaking his head slightly. "I wasn't fishing for compliments and you've already thanked me more than enough. It's still amazing to me how many details Godric remembered, though."

Liv shrugged, not wanting to further embellish the lie they had had to tell to hide her abilities, and instead changed the subject, getting two gift cards from her handbag and handing them over to the siblings. "These are for you. I hope I picked the right thing for you."

Since both Matt and Mel had an incredible sweet tooth, she had gotten them invites for a tasting event at a local pastry shop that was going to roll out some new cake ideas for the next year to a small test audience. It had seemed like a good gift for them and she was glad when their responses now were indeed quite enthusiastic. They chatted a little while longer, finishing the cookies Liv had brought, before Liv said her goodbyes so that the two siblings could finally head out for their family dinner.

Her next stop was the free clinic though everyone there seemed so busy and stressed that she didn't stay long. Instead, she merely exchanged a few friendly greetings and holiday wishes as she passed through the hallways, quickly sneaked into the locker rooms to drop off her presents and left a large cookie tin at the reception before she got back into her car.

It was still almost an hour before she could reasonably expect her aunts to arrive back in Dallas, but when she checked her phone they had left her a brief, cheerful voice message, telling her that they were making good progress and that she shouldn't worry. She smiled, touched by their thoughtfulness, but only sent back a simple thank you text, not wanting to distract them from the road.

She pulled out of the clinic's parking lot and took the road towards Bon Temps, vaguely thinking that she could stop by Sookie's place and give her her Christmas present and still make it home shortly after nightfall. She listened to the radio as she drove, humming along with all her favorite Christmas songs, which helped to keep her worries to a bare minimum.

She passed by the Bon Temps cemetery and followed the bumpy driveway up to Sookie's house, parking next to Sookie's yellow Honda. The house looked much better now, after Sookie, Liv, Bill and Godric had spent an evening clearing away all traces of the maenad's presence, scrubbing the walls and floor boards and even repainting some of the rooms. All the lights were off, though, and no-one came to greet her when she rang the doorbell.

She waited a moment longer, but then accepted the fact that Sookie was not home. She briefly considered going over to Bill's and checking if the part-fairy was visiting with her fiancé, which given that her car was still in its usual spot seemed the most likely explanation, but she didn't want to interrupt their date night or, truth be told, be forced to interact with Bill. Instead she placed the cookie tin and Sookie's gift on the door sill and scribbled out a little note on the back of an old grocery receipt.

"Sookie! I'm sorry!" the sudden yell made her swivel around in surprise, coming almost face to face with Bill Compton.

They stared at each other as the relief slowly washed from Bill's face. "What are you doing here?" he finally demanded, sending her a dour, unwelcoming look.

"Hello, Bill. I came to visit Sookie – do you know where she is?" Liv asked back, although judging by Bill's demeanor she was already sure of the answer.

"She's not here," Bill replied sourly.

"Do you know when she'll be back? Or where I can find her?" Liv asked, Bill's answering silence more telling than any admission. "You had a fight then?"

"You should leave," Bill retorted, taking a step closer. "This doesn't concern you."

Before Liv could reply, her phone jingled merrily in her jacket pocket.

"Good evening, Liv," Eric's jovial voice greeted her from the other end of the line. "I trust you had a pleasant day? Godric would like to know when we can expect you back home."

"Why are you in Bon Temps?" Godric inquired curiously a moment later.

"I wanted to visit Sookie, but Bill has just informed me that she's not here," Liv answered softly, glancing briefly at said vampire to find that he had taken several steps back as if Godric and Eric could judge his proximity to her over the phone. "I'm about to head back now so I should be home soon."

"I'm going to come and meet you," Godric replied.

"You don't have to do that," Liv protested. "I'm getting into the car now."

"Give it a few more minutes," Eric advised. "Godric already left and I'm guessing you won't appreciate it if he slips into the passenger seat while you're driving."

Liv sighed to herself. She would have liked to ask how Eric was doing after the night before, but even if she could have gotten an honest answer out of him, she was still very aware of Bill's broody presence and so kept her tongue.

"I'm not sure I like that he always knows how I feel," Liv said instead. "It must be exhausting."

Eric's laugh echoed through the line. "Oh, Liv, we knew that even before you had some of his blood. You're enjoyably transparent. Why do you think I wanted you to play poker with us?"

"Because you're over a thousand years old and you have to keep yourself entertained?"

"Well, there's that," Eric answered with amusement. "Speaking of which, I'm preparing a surprise for you."

"Eric…" Liv objected, once more hemmed in by Bill's nearby presence. He was lingering just in the periphery of her vision, making every effort to appear as if wasn't interested in anything she did or said. "Don't go overboard please."

"Don't worry. I think you'll like it."

"Okay, if you're sure," Liv answered, still a little hesitant at the thought that Eric might feel like he had to repay her somehow for her Christmas gift to him.

"Of course," Eric assured her easily and a moment later, she felt a gentle touch in the small of her back and found Godric right next to her. "Godric's here now so we'll see you later. Bye, Eric."

She waited for Eric's acknowledgement and the click of the line before she turned fully towards Godric. He was dressed only in a short-sleeve linen shirt, loose-fitting, off-white pants and his usual leather moccasins – in short, an outfit wholly unsuited to the cold, intermittent drizzle that had been the common thread to this day – and she had to remind herself that unlike her, Godric wouldn't catch a cold even if he strutted around naked in sub-zero temperatures.

She smiled fondly, lightly tracing her finger over the zigzagging lines on his left arm. "Hi."

"Hi, Liv," Godric replied with a smile of his own and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before he wrapped one arm around her waist and turned to greet Bill.

The younger vampire merely nodded stiffly in response. "I shall take my leave then."

"Where is Sookie?" Liv stopped him, knowing that Bill would find it much harder to evade her questions with Godric silently backing her up.

Bill was silent for so long she almost thought he wouldn't answer her this time, either. "I don't know. I haven't seen… or sensed her in the last four days," Bill finally admitted in a pressed tone of voice. "When I heard a heartbeat at her house…"

"Sometimes humans – and other supernaturals – have the ability to block our connection to them, either consciously or unconsciously," Godric offered placatingly. "It does not necessarily mean that she has come to any harm."

"I know that. I would feel it," Bill insisted, maybe to reassure himself.

"What happened between you two?" Liv asked quietly, surprised at Bill's glare.

"She told me that she wanted to break our blood bond," Bill answered, his anger a barely contained undercurrent to his words. "Because she says she needs to get clear about her feelings before our marriage."

Liv didn't need to ask what Bill's opinion had been on that and she doubted that Bill wanted to hear her say that she approved of Sookie's decision. "I'll call Hadley to see if she's heard from Sookie and I'll let you know if I find out anything. Will you do the same please?"

"I'll let her know you stopped by," Bill gave back and Liv decided to accept that compromise rather than to try to argue with him.

"Thank you. Have a good night," she said softly, slipping her gloved hand into Godric's. "Let's go home."

Godric studied her a moment longer and gave Bill a considering look before he said in his usual mild tone of voice, "I think your sheriff would like to be kept apprised about this situation as well. Might we agree on weekly updates and a brief notification if there's any news? Or would you like to confirm with Eric first? I'm sure Liv could call him back on her phone."

"That won't be necessary," Bill pressed out, his glare turning even more disgruntled when Godric politely asked him to clarify. He muttered out an agreement to Godric's suggestion and then sped away without a word of goodbye, probably fearing that Godric might voice yet another distasteful request if he stayed any longer.

"Thank you," Liv murmured with a soft sigh of relief when they were once again alone, leaning in for a chaste kiss. "And I'm glad I'm going to have company for the drive back though I really would have been fine on my own."

Godric shrugged with a bashful smile, opening the car door for her and waiting for her to get settled behind the steering wheel before he speeded round to the other side.

"I knew you would be worried about your aunts – and now Sookie," he said gently. "And you always say that it's not a good idea to drive when you're distracted."

"And you thought I'd be less distracted with you right next to me?" Liv teased.

"Admittedly, I had only hoped that you would be less worried with me there," Godric murmured, casting her a slightly sheepish look. "Would you like me to see if I can find any more clues about Sookie's disappearance before we go?"

"Would you?" Liv said gratefully, huffing out a short breath when Godric disappeared from her sight a moment later.

He returned quickly, slipping into the passenger seat and giving her a regretful shake of his head. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar enough with her scent and habits to make any useful discoveries. I may have found her trace, but I lost it somewhere in the cemetery."

"Still, thank you for trying," Liv replied with a small sigh, fastening her seat belt, and finally started the car. "Do you think maybe Alcide would have better luck? You always say that werewolves are the best trackers."

"We can ask him," Godric promised. "But I found no signs of a struggle or spilled blood, so maybe she just took some time for herself to think things through."

"Maybe," Liv said and made a right turn back onto the main road. "But honesty I'm not sure that's really in her nature. So either she's very, very upset or…"

"We'll find her," Godric assured her gently. "Bill seemed very certain that she's not dead."

Liv curled her hands tighter around the steering wheel for a moment, resisting the urge to squeeze her eyes shut.

Godric made a small sound of protest. "I'm sorry, cridiíon imon. I didn't mean to upset you with my words."

"I know," Liv answered, flashing him a brief forgiving smile, before she admitted in a small voice, "I know that Sookie is still alive. I think I would have felt… something otherwise and…"

"Liv?" Godric asked carefully when she broke off.

"When Bill touches me I see his true death, different versions of it, but they're still all very similar," Liv admitted, staring straight ahead at the road. "In some of them, Sookie looks hardly older than she is now, in others she's an old woman; in some of them, it's self-defense or an act of rage, in others, he's trying to protect her or even begs her to end his life. But he always dies at her hand."

Godric was quiet for a few long moments and she cast him a brief look, something telling her that the vampire was not nearly as calm as he appeared on the surface.

"Bill touched you?" he asked, sounding nothing more than politely interested.

"It was some time ago and I think he was just trying to figure out whether or not I actually have any psychic abilities," Liv said, slowing down and pulling the car to a stop on the shoulder when she noticed how little of her attention was on driving. "I promise I'm fine and I'm sure he won't do it again."

Bill hadn't expected her to have a vision, she was almost certain, and he hadn't been able to hide his unease at her having obtained knowledge about him that he wouldn't have wanted to share. He hadn't asked her outright about her vision and she hadn't volunteered any information, but its shadow hanging between them had made their interactions even more strained and stilted, as if Bill blamed her for invading his privacy and suspected she might use her new knowledge against him at any moment. They had taken to avoiding each other as much as possible and Liv could honestly say that she preferred it that way.

Godric was still too quiet, though. "I really am fine, Godric. Can we just leave it at that, please?"

"I'm sorry, Liv, but no. I'll be right back."

Normally, she wouldn't have stood a chance against Godric's supernatural speed. But then for all his strengths and merits, Godric still sometimes got confused by modern technology and now completely disregarded the door handle and instead tried to open the door by pressing the button for the electric window winder. When that had the predictable results, he turned to Liv with an adorably confused frown on his face. Liv quickly locked the car doors and put a scowl on her face.

"Godric, you better stay right where you are or we're going to have a very big problem."

The vampire froze, looking at her as if she had caught him stealing from the cookie jar.

"Thank you," Liv said stiffly before she continued, "As I see it, this is about me, my safety, my abilities, and it's not fair of you to relegate my opinion to a mere footnote."

"He touched you, Liv. And you're mine."

"You told me once that that expression is one of ownership. So is that what I am to you, your property, your territory?"

Godric shook his head immediately, reaching for her gloved hands and gently taking them between his. "Of course not. You're my heart and soul, my everything, cridiíon imon. You know that – don't you?"

"Then how can you use that as your justification?" Liv asked, making her voice as even as she possibly could.

"I wasn't going to kill him," Godric still protested with an ever so slight pout.

"And what were you going to do?" Liv asked, a little startled to see the frightfully impish grin that spread over Godric's face.

"Oh, I was merely going to talk to him about his inappropriate behavior and remind him of the consequences if it should ever happen again. And then, I was going to invite him to take part in the training seminar Eric arranged for his employees to raise their awareness for sexual harassment and discrimination. I think he would benefit from that."

Liv felt the corners of her own mouth twitch up in a smile. "That actually sounds perfect," she admitted with a sigh, twisting her fingers in Godric's careful hold. "I'm sorry, Godric, I thought you were going to hurt him… or do worse."

"I want to," Godric confessed freely, scooting a little closer to rub gentle circles into her back. "But I know that you wouldn't be comfortable with that so I thought I could make do with this."

Liv huffed out a slow breath, wishing that they weren't hemmed in and separated by the dashboard, seats, steering wheel and gear stick so that they could hug properly. "Why couldn't you tell me that? You were just going to leave in the middle of our conversation and…"

"I'm sorry, Liv," Godric murmured, looking suddenly young and contrite. "You stopped the car and it all seemed so clear to me. You know me so well - I guess at times I forget that you can't actually read my mind."

She should have scoffed at such a ludicrous explanation and given him a piece of her mind for trying to fool her like that, but it didn't sound ludicrous coming from Godric. It sounded sweet and above all true and she felt the relief wash over her like a hot shower after a long, stressful day.

Godric lightly squeezed her fingers. "But it was rude of me, regardless, and I should have taken into consideration how it would look to you, especially after everything that's happened. Will you please forgive me?"

She gave him a soft, gentle smile before leaning in for a tender kiss. "I believe you know my answer to that. And if you want to deal with Bill now, I'm okay with that."

"I think that can wait till tomorrow," Godric answered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and blowing a soft kiss against her cheek. "Let's go home, cridiíon imon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Happy Holidays!_


	7. Trinke, Liebchen, trinke schnell

**7\. Trinke, Liebchen, trinke schnell – Die Fledermaus – Johann Strauss**

Her aunts had called while Liv had still been behind the wheel, driving back to Shreveport. Godric had needed a few gentle pointers, but then he had managed to pick up the call so that she could hear her aunts' reassurances that they had arrived safely back in Dallas where everything was still well in order and where they were looking forward to falling into bed. Liv had laughed and thanked them for their call, feeling the boulder-sized rock finally roll off her heart.

Once they had made it back home, Liv had called Hadley to tell her about her run-in with Bill and Sookie's disappearance. Hadley hadn't been overly concerned, but then again she was a very young vampire and a good ninety percent of her thoughts seemed to revolve around blood. Liv hadn't seen her since before she had been turned, but from her phone calls with both Hadley and Sophie-Anne, she knew that the transition hadn't been easy on the sweet-tempered young woman, who struggled to reconcile her human views and opinions with her new reality, was overwhelmed by her enhanced senses, got scared when it was time for her to sleep, felt guilty about drinking human blood, didn't like how it reminded her of her past drug addiction, and was irritable, moody and tearful. Liv tried not to worry too much about her, knowing that Sophie-Anne was watching out for her and was even scheduling all the interviews she needed to give as the new AVL spokeswoman in New Orleans so that she didn't have to leave Hadley's side. But Liv still made sure to check in with them at least once a week, mostly just offering Hadley a sympathetic ear and making sure that the young vampire knew she would always be her friend. Sophie-Anne had also promised that she could come and visit them soon, maybe as early as the next week. Liv took that as good sign.

She peaked into the dark kitchen and then wandered further to the living room where the only light was coming from the Christmas decorations, surprised to find neither Eric nor Godric anywhere in sight. She had all but decided that the two vampires must be in their bunker when she noted a cold draft in the air. She furrowed her brow and moved further into the living room, pausing a moment next to the couch to give her eyes time to adjust. Now that she was a bit closer, she could see that the sliding doors towards the gardens stood slightly ajar, the gauzy white curtains blowing lightly in the stiff winter breeze.

The outside lights were on, the swimming pool sparkling in its usual bright blue and a good half of the trees trimmed in merrily blinking fairy lights. When she peered outside, wrapping her arms around herself to shield herself against the cold, she could just make out Pam and Godric a bit farther away on the open grass. Godric turned towards her and gave her a shy wave and a bright smile, but then focused back on whatever he and Pam were doing. It seemed to involve a lot of jumping on Pam's part.

Liv watched them a little while longer, amused by their antics even if she couldn't figure out what they were doing. She turned away only when she noticed that she had started to shiver and that she clearly wasn't dressed appropriately. She went back inside in search of warmer clothes and was just coming back through the living room - dressed in her warm fleece coat, the new padded boots Pam had gotten her for Christmas, and equipped with a woolen hat, scarf and gloves – when she thought she noticed a small movement near the couch and paused to turn on one of the standing lamps, blinking her eyes a few times to adjust them to the light.

She startled back slightly at the angry chattering that greeted her actions, even more surprised when she saw the small furry creature that was producing those sounds.

"How did you get in here?" she asked gently, moving a little closer again to get a better look and smiling when the large pointed ears flickered in her direction, the tiny snout twitching with interest. "It's probably getting too cold for you outside, hm? Maybe we could make a little nest for you somewhere so that you'll have a warm, quiet place to sleep. Our living room isn't the best for that, I'm afraid."

She carefully and slowly moved around the couch, making sure to keep a wide enough berth so as not to startle their small visitor, thinking that Godric would probably have some ideas. After all, he had already put up several birdhouses in the garden and was always leaving nuts and seeds for the many squirrels that now lived on their property. A tiny bat couldn't pose too much of a challenge for him.

She pushed the door open a little wider and was just about to call out to the two vampires when she felt something soft and light hit her back, like a rolled up sock, her own squeak mingling with the excited chirking of the little flying fiend as the tiny bat got hopelessly entangled in her hair and tugged and scrambled to get free.

"Careful." Godric was suddenly in front of her and caught her flailing arms to pin them against her side before he gently plucked the little creature from her hair. "Don't hurt him. That's Eric."

He continued before she had time to wrap her head around his last words, addressing the tawny, little mammal cradled safely in his hand, "I asked you not to do that. You could have gotten hurt and you scared Liv."

The little bat made a series of unhappy noises at Godric's chiding tone, staring up at them with dark button eyes and trying to adjust the fold of his wings to a more comfortable position. Liv was still struggling to understand what was going on and Pam's smirk was not helping matters.

"This is a prank, right?" she asked faintly.

Pam's grin got even wider as she shook her head. "That's Eric."

"It doesn't look like Eric," Liv pointed out, trying to reconcile this thumb-sized little creature with Eric's usual looming height or to find any recognizable features in the furry little face.

"He's a bat," Pam replied reasonably. "What did you expect?"

"Not this," Liv admitted honestly. "Since when can Eric turn into a bat? And does he still understand us?"

The bat, Eric, started chattering excitedly again, pushing up on Godric's fingers to press his snout in her direction.

"That does not actually answer my question, Eric," Liv pointed out to him, but couldn't hide her smile at his antics.

"It's not an ability he uses very often," Godric explained gently, offering Eric his other hand to climb onto. "And he still has some trouble with turning back into human form."

"Can you transform into a bat?" Liv asked hesitantly.

"We're very vulnerable like this. It's easy to hurt us," Godric replied in a soft, soft tone of voice that told her more than his actual words that he was remembering something that Claudius had done to him.

Liv inhaled shakily and slipped her arms around Godric's waist, pressing a loving kiss against his shoulder. "Eric has us to watch out for him, though. We won't let him get hurt."

Godric gave her a grateful smile, allowing Eric to clamber onto his shoulder. "Do you want to come outside with us? Eric has been having fun getting used to this form, I think, and Pam and I have been working on her flying. She's very talented for one so young."

Pam looked quite pleased at Godric's announcement, speeding, or rather bouncing off, vaulting herself in a high arch over the pool before she landed safely back on the lawn. Eric raised his snout up as if to scent the air and then used Godric's shoulder as a launch pad. His first few flaps were still a little wonky, but he quickly gained in confidence and strength. Liv could see how most of Godric's attention went with him, his worry hanging over him like a thundercloud.

"Go on," she told him, breathing a small kiss onto his cool cheek. "Keep an eye on them. I think I'll stay up here."

Godric lightly squeezed her hand before he followed Pam and presumably Eric, who had disappeared seamlessly into the night sky. Liv returned briefly to the living room to grab a blanket from the back of the couch. She wrapped it around herself and made herself comfortable in one of the deck chairs that offered a good view on Godric and Pam and which was shielded from the cold drizzling rain by the glass terrace canopy.

She had been watching them for maybe half an hour or so when she heard a rustle in the branches of the evergreen scrubs that lined the terrace on one side. A moment later, Eric emerged from between the trunks, freezing for a few seconds to sound out the situation and then taking several daring hops forward. It made him look a bit like a furry, spindly-legged frog, Liv thought with amusement, holding as still as possible as Eric made his way up onto her deck chair and then clambered up her leg. He took some time to thoroughly inspect the woolen blanket with a series of small clicking sounds that Liv took as approval. Finally, he nosed aside the edge of the blanket and wiggled beneath, seeming quite content to settle in against her chest and peer out at the world from his safe perch.

"Taking a break?" Liv asked softly.

Eric made a few small noises, looking up at her with his dark button eyes and then turned away to groom his wings, apparently not overly interested in a conversation.

"Fine, be that way." Liv chuckled. "I've actually been trying to figure out what kind of bat you are. I thought probably a species that's native to Scandinavia, but I haven't found one that looks like you yet."

She turned back to her phone, lazily scrolling through images of bats, a little surprised at the great variety. There were bats with large bunny ears and small round ones; with dark, almost black fur and white, fluffy coats; with wingspans between 5 feet and less than 6 inches. She finally found an article that stated that the shape of the nose and in particular the form of the nose-leaf was an important identification feature, which greatly helped to narrow down her search.

"Oh, of course. I should have guessed," Liv breathed out. "You're a vampire bat."

Eric yawned, showing her his razor-sharp incisors.

"Little smartass," Liv whispered with a fond smile and slowly reaching out to caress her fingers lightly over his furry head and back. Eric froze for a few seconds before he pushed up against her fingers to prompt her into continuing. She did so with a soft chuckle.

She read a few more pages and articles, intermittently watching Godric and Pam, who had now transitioned from jumping to hovering a few feet above the ground. Pam didn't seem to be able to gain any sort of momentum yet, though that didn't put a damper on her enthusiasm. She smiled, looking down at Eric to see if he shared her amusement, but then sat up in alarm when she noticed that he had started to shiver, despite still being in the warm cocoon of her blanket.

She carefully scooped him up in her hands, just as Godric and Pam appeared next to the. "Eric? Eric, I think it's time for you to turn back."

She tried to set him down, but Eric hooked his thumbs around her fingers and squawked pitifully, something very much like fear flashing in his dark eyes.

"Eric," Godric called, taking the tiny bat from her hands and starting to talk to him in Eric's mother tongue.

"What happened?" Pam demanded, sounding angry enough to mask her worry.

"He just started shivering," Liv replied, trying to remain calm. "He was underneath the blankets with me so I don't think it's because of the cold."

"He shouldn't be affected by that, anyway," Pam pointed out. "He's still a vampire, even if he looks like a bat."

"Then what's wrong with him?" Liv asked worriedly, following Godric and Pam inside.

"He's not supposed to stay in this form for long periods of time," Godric replied, gently depositing Eric on the couch cushions. "Eric, minns hur det känns att vara människa.(1)"

He kept talking encouragingly, probably trying to coach Eric on how to turn back. Eric was clearly trying, too, twisting and turning and tensing the muscles in his little body, but it only seemed to tire him out.

"Godric, can't you command him as his maker?" Liv asked softly, resting her hand on the vampire's shoulder when he shook his head. "I know you don't like to use that power, but it might be the quickest way to help him back to his human form."

"I can't. I can't command him when he's a bat," Godric replied, his voice pressed with worry.

"Then what can we do?" Pam demanded, starting to pace in agitation. "Look at him! He needs to turn back now before he grows even weaker!"

"Maybe that's it," Liv spoke up, remembering one of the tidbits of information she'd found online. "Vampire bats need to feed at least once every two nights or they might starve. I'm guessing Eric's burnt a lot of energy trying out his new wings and he hasn't eaten anything, has he? Maybe he just doesn't have the energy to turn back."

Eric started to chatter excitedly, hopping up on the armrest and flapping his wings. A moment later he swung himself up into the air and landed on Liv's chest, clinging to her fleece coat and climbing a little higher.

"Can I take that as a yes?" Liv asked, smiling when Eric gave another sneezy little chirk and tried to crawl up to her neck.

"He is very hungry," Godric affirmed, pressing a grateful kiss into her hair. "Are you okay with this?"

"I'm guessing he's not interested in feeding on animal blood like a normal vampire bat," Liv answered with a good-natured eye roll, plucking Eric away from her throat despite his vocal protests. "But you're not biting me on my neck, Eric."

"We can find someone else if you're uncomfortable with this," Godric offered. "Or we could warm up some Tru Blood for him."

Eric hissed angrily at that proposal before changing his tune to whimpering squeaks and pitiful button eyes directed at Liv.

"You can have some blood from my wrist," Liv told him, mostly not liking the thought of having those little claws scrabbling across her neck where she couldn't see what was going on. "If that's okay with you?"

"Of course," Godric agreed immediately. "I promise Eric will be on his best behavior, too."

He gently took the little bat from her hands, giving him a look of fond, parental admonishment. "You've had enough fun for tonight."

"Okay then," Liv said, sitting down on the couch, peeling off her gloves and rolling up her left sleeve.

"That's my cue," Pam declared, already moving towards the terrace door. "Have Eric call me when he's back to his usual gargantuan self."

"Will do. Goodnight, Pam," Liv called after her, not receiving nor expecting a reply. Pam hardly ever bothered with proper goodbyes and even though she had excellent control, she had once admitted to Liv that her blood still tempted her a little too much and that she thus thought it wiser not to test her self-restraint or Godric's forbearance.

Liv smiled at Godric when he sat down next to her, placing Eric gently down in her lap as the older vampire carefully pulled her in against his chest and wrapped an arm around her middle.

Eric scuttled around nervously for a few moments, still shivering slightly, and then hopped up onto her leg and from there onto her forearm. Liv sucked in a harsh breath and pressed back against Godric, hardly even noticing it when Eric ripped a hole into her skin.

"Liv?" Godric asked worriedly, feathering his hand over her stomach and rubbing small circles with his thumb.

"I'm fine, I'm just… it's all fractured, disjointed. I need to make sense of it before I can dial it back," Liv whispered, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to take deep breaths, trying to put order to all these images that flashed before her eyes. Finally, she recognized one of the snippets; and another.

"There're all of Eric," she murmured, feeling more than hearing the question in Godric's body. "I thought I'd see him as a bat, but he's human."

She breathed out slowly and opened her eyes, feeling something in her settle at that realization. All night, she had struggled to make sense of Eric's new shapeshifting abilities and Pam's and Godric's rather unhelpful comments regarding, to figure out if he was a bat or a vampire and what that meant exactly. Now she had at least one of the answers.

She twisted around slightly to give Godric a reassuring smile before she looked down at Eric, who had settled back on her leg and was happily licking up the thin rivulet of blood that ran from the torn skin at her wrist.

"I don't know whether to find that gross or fascinating," she admitted with a slight grimace, resting her head comfortably against Godric's shoulder. "The nurse in me is horrified, of course - all those bat-borne diseases and infections – and then again fascinated by the anticoagulant in his saliva. If I remember correctly it's called Draculin – one of my friends from college was involved in a study to see if it could be used in medicine."

"Draculin? After Count Dracula?" Godric asked curiously.

Liv nodded. "Do you know if your saliva has the same properties? I never really focused on that."

"Good," Godric declared, pressing a light kiss into her hair and sending her a pleased little grin before he answered, "I actually think the opposite is true. Most of the time, I use a drop of my blood to heal my bite marks on your skin, but even without that the wounds would close and heal quickly."

"Huh, that makes sense," Liv mumbled, closing her eyes for a moment when Eric's wing brushed against her forearm and the images tried to push to the forefront of her mind again. "Vampire bats don't suck blood; they lick it up. They'd need the wounds to stay open longer."

"Liv," Godric whispered, half in protest. "Tell me if this is too much."

"It's okay," Liv assured him. "Eric's being very careful. I think he just forgot about his wing for a moment."

Eric looked up from his meal for a second, his nose coated red with her blood, and chirked up at her in what might have been agreement.

"And it's all of the past," Liv continued reassuringly. "It's just a little harder to push them back because the images are so disconnected, like in a fever dream. But I promise I'm fine. We're both fine."

Godric didn't seem wholly convinced and fuzzily adjusted the blanket around her shoulders, breathing another kiss against her cheek.

"I always thought vampires turning into bats was pure fiction," Liv offered, in part to distract him and in part because she was honestly curious.

"It's a rare ability. And many who do have the talent never bother to explore it," Godric explained readily.

"I imagine it doesn't seem very useful when you can already fly in your human form – and are so much stronger and faster, too," Liv agreed softly. "Are there any real advantages?"

Godric shrugged lightly. "Not all vampires can fly, though flying as a bat isn't a very efficient alternative. But other than that, I can only think of two things: As I said I cannot command Eric while he is in this form and you will not be able uninvite him from or bar him entrance to your home - I guess it would be unreasonable to expect Eric to listen to me as a bat when he barely does so as a vampire."

Liv laughed, hearing the amusement in Godric's tone. "You know that's not true. You're the only one he listens to."

"He listens to you, too, more than you realize," Godric corrected her gently, painting light swirls on her hip. "He's arranged that training seminar for his staff because you suggested it."

"I actually suggested it for **him**," Liv pointed out, looking down at the little bat in her lap with fond exasperation. "I swear he wouldn't get away with even half the things he says and does if he wasn't so damn good-looking."

Even in animal form, Eric seemed to preen a little at her words, licking up a few last drops of blood and then pushing up on his forelegs to stretch up to his full, diminutive height. He gave another chirk before he crawled up on her knee, reached the armrest with two hops and swung himself up into the air on the third, seamlessly transforming in mid-air as if it was the great finale to a magician's show.

He turned around with a smirk, which got even broader when he noticed Liv's wide-eyed look of shock. "What's the matter, Liv? Never seen a naked man before?"

"You're not funny," Liv informed him with a roll of her eyes. "But I'm still glad you're back to your usual self."

She absently moved her arm, curling her fingers in surprise at the tingling pain that radiated up to her elbow. There was still blood trickling from the small wound Eric had torn into her skin, a red river trailing down her arm and onto her jeans.

"Here, let me heal that for you," Eric offered, smoothly dropping to his knees in front of her and Godric and requesting her arm with his outstretched hand. "Please?"

Liv sighed, exchanging a quick glance with Godric, and placed her arm in the open palm of Eric's hand. She squeaked in surprise when Eric bowed his head and licked up her arm with a broad, thorough swipe of his tongue.

"What are you doing?"

Eric grinned up at her, his pointy incisors peaking over his bottom lip. "I thought you were worried about infections. I only want to help, Liv."

"Of course you do," Liv replied dryly, but held still as Eric rubbed a drop of his own blood onto her wound, the flesh knitting together in a matter of mere seconds. "Thank you, Eric."

She wrapped her arms loosely around Eric's shoulders, happy and relieved to have him back in his human form so that they could all stop worrying. Eric closed his own arms around her, easily pulling her from her seat and swinging her up as if to demonstrate that the balance of power was once more quite heavily skewed in his favor. Liv gave a startled laugh, allowing him to hold her tight for a moment before she tapped his shoulder to tell him that she wanted to be set down again.

Eric obliged her immediately, waiting for her to get settled against Godric's side before he elegantly sprawled out on the seat next to her, without a care for his state of complete undress. "Did you like my surprise?"

"You make for a very cute bat. But why did you decide to practice this now?" Liv asked softly, trying not to read anything into the slight furrow between Eric's eyebrows.

The blond vampire shrugged. "I felt like it. And Godric made me promise to only use this ability when he's close by."

"You're all but defenseless in that form," Godric reminded him, reaching over Liv to touch Eric's arm. "And you're not used to having to be careful."

"I'm not arguing with you," Eric replied before maneuvering around and flopping down with his head in Liv's lap. "I still feel cramped and the echolocation has messed with my senses," he complained with a groan, rubbing his hands over his face.

"Close your eyes," Godric coached, gently pushing Eric's hands away and placing his own over Eric's eyes. "Now focus on just one of your senses. What do you smell?"

"Liv's blood," Eric replied immediately, turning sideways and pressing his nose against where a drop of her blood had spilled onto her jeans.

"Do you want to me leave?" Liv asked in a concerned whisper, not wanting to stress Eric out with her presence if he was already struggling with his senses.

"No," Eric protested immediately, grasping her thigh as if to physically keep her from leaving.

"It helps him to have something to focus on," Godric explained softly, giving her a brief smile before he focused back on Eric. "What else can you smell?"

Eric's voice was muffled since he still had his face buried against her leg, but she could feel the reverberations of his words, tiny, trembling earthquakes that shivered through her flesh. Liv huffed out a slow breath and tried not to let it affect her, something that was made considerably more impossible by Eric still being stark naked and all but nuzzling her inner thigh, blowing small puffs of air against leg.

"I can smell Liv's arousal," Eric declared as if on cue, turning around so that he could grin up at her.

"And we can see yours," Godric remarked calmly, pressing a loving kiss into Liv's hair. "And if Eric wasn't so fixated on you, he'd notice my arousal, too."

Liv looked up hesitantly, relaxing when she saw the warm light of amusement in Godric's eyes. She placed a soft but lingering kiss on Godric's lips, hoping to reassure both of them, though she seemed to be the only one in need of that.

"All three of us perverts," Eric commented with a laugh, not even slightly embarrassed; he stretched like a cat and closed his eyes again as Godric gently caressed his fingers along his cheek and over his Adam's apple.

"I would call us appreciative," Godric corrected him softly, smiling at Liv when she also slid her fingers into Eric's fine blond hair.

"And we'll take it as proof that you're feeling better," Liv added quietly. "I'll let Pam know that she can stop worrying."

"Give me that," Eric demanded, blindly reaching for her phone, and started texting. "Pam won't like it if you interrupt her stress-relief with a call. There. Now go back to stroking my hair."

"Bossy," Liv commented, but obediently went back to stroking Eric's hair and rubbing light circles into his temple as Godric led Eric through focusing on each of his senses, one after the other, smell, taste, touch, hearing and finally sight.

She listened with quiet fascination, still startled and astounded by the depth and range of their perceptions, as if they were living in a completely different world, brighter, louder and more fragrant than she could even fully comprehend. It should have made her feel exposed or excluded, but instead she felt herself slip deeper into relaxation and finally into sleep, knowing that this was where she belonged, with Godric and Eric, and that they would all watch out for each other and safeguard their joint happiness.

* * *

(1) Eric, remember how it feels to be human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Well, this is the end, my dears! Thank you all for reading, reviewing, liking etc. You're awesome!_
> 
> _Also, for those of you who have asked or wondered about an actual sequel to _ Windmills of Your Mind _, the answer is a very clear "maybe". I have started to write something, but I haven't yet figured out if it's going anywhere (and if so, where?) and since I don't like to post a new story if I don't know that I can finish it in a reasonable timeframe, I don't foresee anything coming out soon. But maybe I'll have something for you eventually and then, I'd love to "see" you all again._
> 
> _So all that leaves is for me to wish you a Happy New Year and may all your wishes come true!_


End file.
